Waking Up in Love
by Oh-no-she-di'ent
Summary: Not even Lorelai would take a joke this far. Luke had to wonder if he really was still asleep. He was smack dab in the middle of the most confusing scene of his life. Story complete, rated M.


_**Disclaimer**_: Not taking any credit for GG.

Here's something weird and freaky for the masses. If you like Dreaming of Reality, you may like this. This story may remind you of DoR, only because it contains a touch of the unexplainable. In this fic, Luke finds himself in a situation that he always wanted to happen, but he doesn't have any memory of how it came to be. This takes place in S5 (AU) but as far as Luke is concerned, this is around S3. Full-blown relationship with Lorelai but no clue how & when they crossed the line of friendship. He tries to deal with the "here and now" while battling confusion and trying not to raise any red flags. But can he fool the lovely Ms. Lorelai Gilmore? Only time will tell. The story's finished and rated M. You may notice that some events of S3 take place at an earlier time than on the show. Roll with it! Enjoy the read, everybody.

**Waking Up in Love**

The light shined brightly through an open window.

The hour was late—eight, maybe nine in the morning. Luke could tell this as he slipped slowly away from the unconscious world. He was in bed on his stomach, one arm hanging limply on the floor. The rest of him was sprawled under layers of blankets. His face was toward the rays that assaulted his sensitive, still shielded eyes.

He groaned his displeasure, and a frown made his brows crease. It began to register that not only had he overslept, but he was also in the midst of an unwanted sun tanning session.

Sleepily, he lifted one eyelid and blinked several times before being able to keep it open. He saw open blinds and curtains pulled to the side. That eye peered outside and saw a clear, blue sky with a dominating sun. A few birds flew by and landed in a nearby tree. He brought that eye back to the curtains. They weren't his. His had more frills. But they were ones he'd seen before. He was sure of that.

His hazy mind focused all at once. The drapes appeared familiar because they were. He'd seen them dozens of times as he fixed dressers, doors, and chair legs in the large bedroom. Luke lifted his head quickly from the mattress. All drowsiness appeared to be long gone as his wide eyes zipped around the space.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty."

Luke flipped over on the mattress quicker than a flash of lightening. He grasped the nightstand to keep from toppling off the bed and caused the alarm clock and several other items to fall to the floor. His eyes went to Lorelai. She had just come into the bedroom carrying a stack of envelopes and papers. She wore her reading glasses. She paused in the middle of the floor at his reaction, remaining quiet for several seconds before asking cautiously, "Uh…bad dream?"

Luke's jaw was low. It dropped more with each second that passed. He took in the flannel she wore. His flannel. His flannel that had one, two…three buttons undone at the top. His flannel wasn't meant to be worn in such a way. Or by anyone except him, for that matter. But Lorelai was standing there in his flannel. She wore that, along with some kind of long, tight leggings. Leggings…and _his_ flannel.

She slid the glasses from her face. "Luke?" she called.

He tore his eyes away from her and finally closed his mouth. He pushed himself back against the headboard and surveyed the room. "What happened?" he asked with a deep swallow.

"What do you mean?"

He looked at her again. His breaths came fast and heavy. He fought for control over his thoughts. "Why am I here? W-why are you there…in _that_?"

Lorelai looked down at herself. Realizing what he meant, she chuckled. "Oh well, since the one I usually wear is at your apartment, I just slipped on the one you had on yesterday." She dropped her papers and glasses on the bottom of the bed and placed her hands on her hips. "You know, Luke, I think you should probably consider letting me have one for my place, too. I know we don't stay over here a lot, but it'll be nice not to just get kicked from the lumberjack club simply because we're bunking in the crapshack. Can I just keep this one?" she asked with a tug to the flannel she wore. She hit a flirty pose. "It suits me, don't you think?"

Luke was frozen. Couldn't think well enough to respond even if he wanted to. He just watched her with a tentative gaze. After long seconds of quiet, Lorelai crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. "Why did you ask me why you're here?" she asked in memory.

He tried to remember the night before. All he could remember was the long, arduous day in the diner. Lorelai came in, begged for coffee like always. She was dressed in jeans that hugged her curves. He was aware of the new guy in the picture. The one that went fishing and took her on coffee-tasting dates. So, the tight jeans weren't meant for anyone but him. Luke remembered wondering why Lorelai felt the need to do anything beyond just show up in order to impress whatever lucky bastard she had in her life. Like the guy would ever need an incentive to stick around.

At Lorelai's question, he really fought to recall the night's events. Nothing came to him. But since his nights were very much on the predictable side, he knew it'd be easy to assume that he'd simply gone upstairs after closing the diner and gone to bed.

But given the morning he found himself having, he had to believe something had changed in that routine.

"I don't remember drinking anything," Luke revealed thoughtfully.

"You didn't. Are you not feeling well?"

He shook his head. Tried to rattle his brain and make missing puzzle pieces appear in place. "I feel fine," he answered. "On the outside..."

She cocked her head. "You look confused," she remarked with laughter in her voice. Luke's eyes bounced between hers. He looked down at her clothing, then back in her face. He didn't comment. "_Are_ you confused?" she followed with his silence.

Luke took in the messy bed. "Did we, uh…?" His voice faded out.

Lorelai laughed that time. "Are you having some kind of memory lapse? I feel like I'm talking to Jason Bourne right now."

He stared down at the spot next to him again. "So, you slept here. And I slept here. We slept here…t-together, then?"

Her laughter went away. "Okay, little worried. Because that actually sounds like a real question." She paused. "Of course we slept here together. Kinda what dating people do, Luke."

His eyes got as big as silver dollars. "D-d-dating? Did you say _dating_?"

Lorelai paused in concern, leaned forward. "Luke." He regulated his breathing and blinked until his eyes returned to normal size. Lorelai took that to mean he was ready for her newest question. "Are you still asleep?" she asked cautiously.

Luke lowered his eyes. Not even Lorelai would take a joke this far. He had to wonder if he really was still asleep. He did the only thing he knew to do and pinched himself until there was pain. When he looked up, Lorelai still stood at the end of the bed wearing his shirt. He squeezed more skin between his fingers and only generated more pain and redness. He was, apparently, wide awake and smack dab in the middle of the most confusing scene of his life.

"No, not asleep," he concluded.

"Well, what's with the questions? Am I that forgettable?"

He scoffed. "I wouldn't _think_ you are."

"Think?"

"I'd remember. I figured I'd remember."

"Seriously, this kind of flattery should be outlawed."

"Sorry. I guess I'm…I don't know."

"You seem out of it, Hon."

His eyes flashed to her, and then he continued to look around thoughtfully. "I know. I'm just…I really don't know what's going on."

Lorelai pulled her hair behind her ears, then folded her arms back. "I'm going along with this right now."

"With what?"

"This. This thing you're doing. I'm going along with it right now…because I'm assuming this is a joke. It's a joke of yours, right? You're joking with me, doing something you think is funny. Right? I'm sort of fond of you, so I'm willing to roll with the punches, go with the flow, you know, until you realize how much you're worrying me. Genuine worry. Worry so real, it should have its own show. _Real Worry_. Or something a little less lame. But you get my point. Just let me know when you're ready to let me in on this, okay?"

Luke's confusion turned to panic. And as consuming as it felt, he managed to keep a lid on it. Only due to the look in Lorelai's eyes. Even if he wasn't a close friend who could read her better than most, he would've been able to see that she was serious. Definitely not joking. According to her, they were in a relationship. She had on his shirt and was asking him why he was baffled by that fact. He shoved aside questions, moved past the feeling of strangulation, and dried his sweaty palms on the covers he clutched. Did all of that and then worked to curve the edges of his mouth. He wasn't good at faking it. He didn't fake anything ever. But he had to make the look disappear from her face. The rest would have to wait.

With a shaky finger, he pointed at Lorelai and winked easily. "Guess I got you."

Her relief came like a wind gust. Strong, rapid, and effective in its takedown. All fear fell away.

"You _got_ me? You _got me_?!" She playfully squeezed his foot through the thick covers and stopped when she was rewarded with a greater smile. "Man. Don't do that again, Luke. It was mean."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

She moved around the bed and started toward him. His smile went away. "You know I'm out of coffee here. Wait until I hit _Doose's_ or the diner before you start with the mind games." Luke's panic rose to the surface before he could gain control. He was grateful that Lorelai's gaze rested on the floor. When she made it beside him, she leaned low and picked up the items that he had knocked from the nightstand. "When you pull a prank, you really commit, don't you?"

He swallowed and dropped his eyes to the covers that hid his lower half. He had on pants. He could feel the fabric of his jogging pants. He could feel the strain of them. His body occasionally took it upon itself to greet the morning with enthusiasm. It was nothing that Luke ever really thought about. Just part of being a guy, really. But on this morning, he didn't _wake up_ with a rise. It happened as he counted the buttons that lay undone against a certain freckle-covered chest. It went to the point of no return as the most desired brunette in Stars Hollow sashayed toward him with tousled hair and what had to be the tackiest…sexiest thrown-together outfit he'd ever seen.

She looked up at him with a face unhidden by cosmetics. "I'm really proud of you, you know. You slept. You _actually_ slept in," she commended. "Didn't think you were capable."

He kept watch on her, made sure she didn't make any sudden movements. "Well, yeah…I, uh, guess it was time, you know?" He closed his eyes briefly and tried to think of something unappealing. "Um, why are you up so early?" he asked conversationally.

"Not early for me, Babe. Not today. Told you I had to be at the inn by nine o'clock." She set the device back on the nightstand and pointed at the display. "So, as you can see, I'm running behind." Luke looked at the digital 8:17 on the readout. "I decided to get some bills out the way, and I guess I just got lost in all that fun." She dropped her head back down. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked casually.

He turned his head away. All the way away. "Like what?"

"Like you want to _ravage_ me," she said in an overly sultry tone. She set the last few items near the clock. "I mean, I can totally understand the irresistible factor, what with the bed-head and all." She stood up and ran both hands through her thick hair. "It's going to take me forever to tackle this." She sighed and dropped her hands to her sides while looking down at him with a sad pout. "I guess I better get started so I can get out of here, huh?"

Luke was careful not to look over at her. Her proximity was distracting enough without visual aids. "Yeah, that's probably best."

Her hand went to his shoulder, and she smiled enticingly. Luke tensed and looked up at her. "You know what would really make me happy?" she began. He forced himself to breathe when she started kneading his shoulder. He didn't answer her, but she went on anyway. "It'd really make my day if you decided to make a quick trip into town to score me some java while I went in the bathroom to shower myself awake. What do you say? Doesn't that sound like the most awesome plan to ever be thought up?"

Luke felt he could lift weights with his lower muscle at that point.

He tried to keep from pulling away from her. With his silence, she decided to up her level of persuasion. She moved her other hand to his opposite shoulder and looked about ready to climb onto him. As soon as her first foot lifted from the floor, he _did_ pull away. "Okay, okay! Coffee, you got it. I'll get dressed right now," he said all in a rush. "Give me twenty minutes."

She lowered her hands and stood back a little. "Really?" she asked in surprise. "You'll do it…just like that?"

"Yeah, no problem. Just, uh…just go shower, and I'll, uh, go d-d-do that for you."

She smiled in suspicion. "_Just_ like that?"

He tossed glances at her nervously, wishing with everything he had that she'd leave his personal space and allow the tightness to leave his groin. "Yeah, Lorelai, just like that. Just go shower. Please."

She found his behavior strange, but all that followed was a gradual look of triumph. "Wow, I'm getting really good at this," she boasted.

He nodded quickly. "Mmhm, congratulations. You're the best." He gestured with his head. "The sooner you go, the sooner I'll go."

She chuckled. "I gotta tell you, Luke, sometimes you really have me scratching my head." She grasped his chin with one hand and brought his lips to hers in a brief peck. Soft, intimate. "My strange, strange Diner Man," she muttered as she turned to leave. "My coffee prince! My _go-juice_ getter!" she called over her shoulder. "My favorite bed buddy who brightens my day with his smile and a carafe…"

Luke followed her from the room with his eyes. When she exited, he threw his hands over his eyes and leaned his head back onto the headboard. "Oh my god," he whispered. "What the hell is going on?" He dropped his hands and scanned the ceiling. He listened to his loud breathing for seconds. "This has gotta be a dream." Both hands went to his face and he slapped himself repeatedly. "Wake up, wake up, wake up…" He refocused on the ceiling and shook his head at seeing that it was still the one in Lorelai's bedroom. "What the _hell_ kind of dream is this? There's gotta be a reason; gotta be an explanation. Just, uh…gotta find it, that's all," he breathed out.

He looked down and saw where his arousal was now tenting all layers of blankets. "Perfect," he groused. He glanced toward the door before he slid his hand beneath the covers. With clenched teeth and irritation that was strong enough to cause steam to waft from his body, he applied pressure and slowly sent the blood away from that eager organ.

He removed his hand and pulled the covers away. Satisfied that there seemed to be order and obedience below, he brought his feet to the floor and stood up. His eyes bounced around alertly, and when he heard the shower start up and Lorelai's clear singing, he became paralyzed.

She was showering with the door open.

He swallowed as he stared in that direction. It didn't take long for his mind to cook up an image of her shedding clothes and stepping under the sprays of hot water.

"_Luuuuuke_! Can you grab my new bottle of shampoo for me?! I'm out of this one!" she yelled.

Luke rolled his eyes, curled his fingers into fists at his side. "Yeah, no problem!" he yelled back as normally as he could. "Uh…just a sec, okay?" After taking a moment to compose himself, he looked around and spotted her shampoo sitting on the edge of the dresser. With purposeful strides, he rushed over, grabbed it, and headed for the room that contained a naked Lorelai. He knocked on the open door. When Lorelai peeked around the shower curtain, he nodded his head at her from the doorway. He refused to enter the steaming room. "Heads up," he said before tossing her the bottle. She missed, and it fell to the floor of the tub. By then Luke had disappeared.

"Luke!" Lorelai complained.

"Sorry!" he called from the bedroom where he was quickly pulling on his jeans.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Luke drove through town.

It was warm for the time of year but still chilly. Sixty-six degrees. And he had on nothing but his undershirt, jeans, hat, and boots. Lorelai had dropped his flannel on the bathroom floor. It was the last item she had taken off before climbing into the shower, and Luke didn't dare risk going in after it.

So, his arms were exposed. Naked. Usually hidden muscles flexed and stretched beneath tight skin as he gripped the steering wheel firmly in concentration. He looked around at everything as he drove. Even mailboxes got his attention. He searched for change. Glitches in the Matrix.

He found nothing out of the ordinary. But still plenty on the unusual side of things.

Homes still lined the street with overly done lawns and festive mailboxes. Each house had noisy wind chimes that never sat too far away from the lurid birdfeeders. It almost created a buffet for the winged creatures as they flew from one home to the next swiping at pellets of food.

Citizens moved through the streets with destinations on their minds but no pep in their step. They moved like tourists in search of a photo-op. Children played and darted around, making drivers cautious, observant, and very near paranoid.

Luke pulled up in front of the diner and turned the truck off. He got out and walked swiftly toward the diner, noticing every face that passed. He waited for someone to point at him, ask who he was, where he'd come from, how he'd gotten there. But people moved passed him, some choosing to smile their normal, kind smile at the popular diner owner who rarely smiled back.

When Luke got inside of the diner, he heard a cat call and immediately knew who produced it.

"Cool it, Patty," he warned.

She laughed at the embarrassing redness in his cheeks as more of the female patrons eyed him without shame. "Lorelai's a lucky girl. Can't be too bright, though. She'll learn soon enough not to let you roam around town unaccompanied. Especially on days you choose to ditch the flannel. Heavens to Betsy!"

Luke's eyes darted back to Patty at her mention of Lorelai. The question was on the tip of his tongue, on the breath that made it through his parted lips.

_So, Lorelai really is my…?_

He'd briefly entertained the idea that maybe Lorelai had lost it. Maybe all that coffee had done a little brain damage. That didn't explain how he'd ended up in her bed exactly, but one thing at a time! If Patty believed that they were a couple and had taken the liberty of yelling it across a packed diner with not one objection or shocked expression from the useless crowd of people, that only left one conclusion:

The whole damn town was cracked!

He was obviously the only one with a decent grasp on reality. He looked over at the stool that Lorelai had sat on just twenty-four ago. She sat, ate, and talked to him like the _friend_ he was. Luke stared at that stool that currently had a woman twice Lorelai's size on it. No, he definitely wasn't the crazy one. He was the sanest person in the place.

"Hey!" he called to a passing kid. "Why do you have this?" he asked as he took the boy's bike helmet from him.

The kid stared up at him confusedly. "Because you gave it to me," he replied.

Luke surveyed the helmet then eyed the boy. "No, I gave this to another little kid. What'd you do? _Steal_ it?"

"What?! I--"

"Is that what you do, go around taking stuff from smaller children? Do you know what happens to thieves, Kid? Who are your parents?" he demanded.

"Justin, what's going on over here?" an approaching man asked.

Justin pointed angrily toward Luke. "He's flipping out! He gave me this stupid helmet two years ago because Doose was ragging on me about riding my bike without one. He gave it to me, and now he's accusing me of stealing it!"

Luke's brow creased. He looked between his old helmet and the pre-teen. A boy several inches taller than the young kid he'd given the helmet to just a few short weeks ago. Two…years, he'd said?

The boy's dad eyed the helmet as well.

"Justin's had this for a couple of years. I asked him where he'd gotten it when he brought it home, and he said you'd given it to him." The father looked confused. "He comes in here all the time with it, and you've never said--"

Luke shoved the helmet back into the kid's hands. "Never mind," he interrupted. "Just go." He met the boy's disturbed gaze. "I'm sorry about that. Really. Just been a long day." He jutted his chin toward the helmet he held lightly against his chest. "I want you to keep it. Please." Justin slowly came to hold it. Luke's eyes went to the dad. "Sorry," he apologized again. He moved around them, leaving them to either accept his apology or not.

He had bigger problems.

He moved behind the counter. "Hey, Caesar."

Caesar spun around. "Hey, Luke! What are you doing here? You were supposed to be off today."

Luke sighed deeply. "Sure. I'm off today," he said robotically. "Why not?" he mumbled. He grabbed the coffee pot and filled the largest-sized to-go cup. "Who's working with you since I'm _off today_, just out of curiosity?"

Caesar poured coffee. "Well, Kale is working the grill." Luke nodded. "And Lane comes in at eleven."

Luke's eyes bugged. "Lane? Lane works here?" Caesar looked up at him with confusion. Luke diverted his eyes and cleared his throat. "O-of course Lane works here," he covered. "I should know. I hired her, right?" He turned and set the pot back. "Anyway, uh, looks like everything is under control here." He popped open a diner bag and got the doughnut tongs. He placed three one-by-one into the bag while thinking. "Hey, what's today?" he asked Caesar casually.

"Sunday."

"The date. What's the date?"

"November 28th."

"Year?"

He paused. "Excuse me?"

Luke replaced the lid and dropped all pretenses as he rolled his eyes to him. "What's the damn year?" he asked louder. A few people looked up at him, but he didn't care.

"Um. It's 2004."

"2004?"

"Yeah. Are you feeling okay?"

Luke picked up the doughnut bag while working to control his trembling hand. "I'm fine." He dropped his eyes and moved around Caesar, toward the door. "Call me if you need anything," he mumbled.

"I won't need anything. I'm gonna let you enjoy your day, don't worry." He called to Luke before he rounded the counter. "But hey, if I do need you I'll call your cell phone!"

He whirled around. "When'd I get a _cell phone_?" he asked with distaste.

Caesar shrugged. "I dunno. But you gave me the number about--"

"Whatever, just forget it."

"Okay…sure. See ya, Boss."

Luke tossed his hand up over his shoulder and squeezed past the jam tight crowd with his forehead in a wrinkle.

'_November 28, 2004'_ he thought to himself. He shoved past more people. _'Two years flew by overnight. I slept through two damn birthdays. I slept through a presidential election.' _He shook his head. '_Only thing that could make this any worse is finding out we have 4 more years of Bush.'_

He found his way through the horde and pushed the door open.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai walked briskly down the stairs and to the door. She pulled it open and ended up frowning at Luke.

"Why are you ringing the doorbell like a stranger?" she asked.

He shrugged and glanced uneasily at the soft, pink bathrobe she wore. "I've always rang the doorbell."

She reached for her coffee cup. "Yeah, like five years ago," she exaggerated. She tugged on his arm to get him inside. "Mi casa es your casa too, you know that."

He walked past her, into the house. His muscles stiffened everywhere she touched. Her hand started on his wrist, slid to his arm, then went to his back when he was in the house and she was behind him kicking the door closed. Before he knew it, she hopped into his line of sight. Right under his line of sight. She pointed gleefully at the bag he held.

"For me?" she asked, eyes bright.

He held it out immediately. "Yeah, here you go."

Luke was used to the games they played. She'd ask for coffee, and he'd deny her. He'd even pull it away if she reached for it. She would ask for a bag of unhealthy food in his hand, and he'd act as if it wasn't for her. She'd pout, and he'd finally fork it over. But he realized that doing that now wouldn't be very smart. It'd probably be downright dangerous.

If he dared play the games that he was so used to playing, there was a chance that Lorelai would start with her own games. Games that _this_ Luke wasn't entirely prepared to deal with.

It wasn't that he didn't want her. That wasn't it at all. Lorelai had just always been off limits. They were friends. In the past, he'd had a few thoughts that spotlighted her as more than a friend. He'd thought about kissing her, about dating her, about waking up beside her in bed and being the very first person to hear her voice and see her smile. He'd thought of many things he had no business thinking about when it came to her.

After having years and years of red and yellow lights, he could not fathom having a string of green ones. It was unsettling to get to this place overnight. To wake up in her bed and have her parading around in his shirt when he didn't even know what it was like to touch her.

Part of him found it exciting that he could have her now if he just committed to the role. But the other part—the part that dominated—saw the deception. Saw the unfairness of it, both to her and to himself. When that pinch-proof dream ended, he didn't need a crystal ball to see that he'd be devastated. And until that nightmare happened, he'd have to deal with the guilt of pretending to be someone he wasn't.

No, thank you.

Despite all, Luke remained intrigued by the realness of everything. The body that stood in front of him was Lorelai. The scent was hers. It was _so_ hers. She smelled like Jasmine and peaches. Even with his best dream-brew, he could never recreate that smell.

Lorelai took the bag with the doughnuts and stared up at him.

"So, how crazy was I?"

He felt her breath on his face. Warm, sweet, minty. Like cinnamon and toothpaste. Did they even make cinnamon _toothpaste_? If they did, he knew that Lorelai would most certainly own it. Luke shook the thought away. He looked down at her. From one beautiful blue eye to the other. "What?" he asked distractedly.

She smiled. "Come on, Luke. Surely somebody said it. Miss Patty in all likelihood. Who questioned my mental state for letting you out of the house all unwrapped for the town to see?"

Luke hit a shade of red that Lorelai didn't even know was possible. He dropped his head. "Um..."

"Better yet…" she followed with a greater smile. "Give me the names of all the oglers." She walked closer to him, and her scent got stronger. "Every one of them. They're all toast."

Luke swallowed hard and he became completely unable to think when she moved even closer and brushed his chest with hers. He couldn't look away. "Lorelai."

She reached over and set her breakfast items on the table in the foyer. "God, Luke. You have this look…this look that's driving me crazy." She clutched the sides of his thin shirt, then placed her palms against him and rubbed there. She alternated her gaze between his eyes and lips. "It's like you're looking at me for the first time," she revealed softly.

He dropped his head. "You should probably finish getting ready, you know? You're running pretty late."

She smiled. "What if I said 'to hell with that job'? What if I stayed here for a little while longer? What would you do with that?"

He concentrated on keeping his body from answering the question for him. She was fully against him at that point, and she teasingly slid her hands around his waist. He appeared awkward trying to find an appropriate place for his hands. He touched her shoulders gently just as she linked her hands behind him.

He opened his mouth to protest when she stood on her toes and put her mouth at his throat.

She kissed him and moaned sweetly against his skin. Then, there was wetness. Her tongue. Luke stepped back quickly on weak knees when his body reacted with a full salute. Lorelai's eyes opened and she looked over at him in question.

The phone rang.

Luke thought fast, pulled his shirt lower to cover what he feared was so blatant. But if he looked down to confirm, she would look down too.

He gave her a stern look that he had to compose. For once, the look took effort. "If you're not gonna be responsible, I guess I'm gonna have to do it for you. Now, finish getting ready so you can go manage that inn of yours. I mean it. I don't date slackers." His throat nearly closed up at the term. He half-expected her to laugh and taunt him about falling for her evil trick.

Lorelai frowned in a show of disappointment as she reached for her food on the table. Luke took a calming breath.

"You won this round, Batman. Don't anticipate another victory," she declared before turning away. She ran to the phone while speaking to him loudly to make up for the distance. "And why are you demoting me, mister? You know I don't manage anymore. I rule all at the Dragonfly!" she proclaimed playfully. She picked up the receiver. "Well, all except Sookie, that is." She winked at Luke and spoke into the phone. "What can I do for you, Caller?" She headed into the kitchen.

Luke's surprise was clearly displayed on his face. '_Dragonfly?'_ he thought. His expression went from shock to elation as it all sank in. She'd finally gotten her dream up off the ground!

He had questions. So many questions. How long had the remodel taken? Had everything gone smoothly? What did it look like? Did she hire any of the staff from the Independence? Who was managing the old inn now? How'd Mia take the news of her leaving? He'd always had concern about her financing, and if she had run into any trouble, he hoped she came to him. He wouldn't know, though. He'd missed everything. And knowing Lorelai, he was willing to bet that the road to completion was one for the history books. And he'd missed it all.

He followed her voice into the kitchen. She was on the phone with Michel, so he immediately knew that at least one person had made the transition with her. The _worst_ person in his opinion. The one who he thought was a complete dingdong.

Lorelai walked from the refrigerator over near the coffee machine and back again. She smiled at Luke, and he returned it while ignoring the way his heart sped up at that simple gesture. She looked away and focused on the stress that was obviously being thrown at her from the other end of the phone.

"I know what time it is, Michel," she stated raggedly. "I'll be there before you know it, and you can feel free to complain to me in person."

Luke scraped at his eyebrow before straightening his hat. Though he tried to ignore the way the ties on her bathrobe were slowly slipping from its loose knot, his eyes kept going there. The more she moved, the looser her robe became. She stopped and leaned on the counter in front of the coffee machine. She rolled her eyes as Michel spoke _at_ her, and the belt untangled completely as she shifted in annoyance. The robe remained together though, and mystery led the list of reasons why. Lorelai stared across the room, probably playing a movie in her head as she waited to get a word in edgewise. She lifted her knee. Showed bare thigh. Her legs were already visible in the short robe. The moment she did that, the robe began to part, and Luke caught a glimpse of a dark blue brassiere with lace over the top part of her breasts only. She had on a bra and matching panties. That was it. Her stomach was bare. Everywhere else was bare. Luke determined all of that with the small peek he allowed himself.

By the time her robe started sliding away completely, he had crossed the room and was in front of her with his hands on her belt.

She looked up at him with alert before she took notice of what he was doing. He glanced uneasily between her face and the belt straps that he gently tied back in place for her. She grinned at the sweet gesture. Her smile could hypnotize a bat. Luke found himself smiling too as he envisioned how their relationship must be. As a friend, he'd do anything for that smile. In the past, that smile had made him bend and break on things he'd stood firm on. He could only imagine how soft he was while in a relationship with her.

She moved the phone from her mouth and whispered "Thanks" when he was done.

"You're welcome," he replied softly as he stood in place still looking down at her.

When the thought came to him, there wasn't much going on in his head to let him know not to even think about it. So, that thought was followed by action. She was occupied. On the phone and unable to react with too much action of her own.

He leaned in--hesitated only slightly--before his lips connected with her cheek. Lorelai placed her hand on the side of his face with affection and moved around him when he pulled back. "Michel! _Michel_! The longer I stay on this phone with you, the longer it's going to take me to get there!"

Luke turned and watched her walk away. An amused smile fell across his lips. He had just kissed Lorelai and while his heart was beating like a drum roll in his chest, she was totally used to feeling his lips on her. That kiss was followed by her screaming into the phone, while Luke fought to remain standing.

All caution crept back to the surface bit by bit, and he blushed as he realized what he'd just done.

As he watched her move around the kitchen, he again went over the reality of the fairytale. He was in a relationship with Lorelai Gilmore. An actual relationship. He didn't know what happened to get them there, but apparently, there they were. The problem was that there were feelings. Not just sexual, but the real kind—the kind that came when you really knew a person. And if it wasn't for those emotions, he knew it'd be much easier to stay away and fight off her advances. He'd done it successfully a couple of times in the hour and a half that he'd been in the Land of no Sense. But it wasn't something he could guarantee would always happen.

He could feel his mind beginning to cloud already, and he struggled to keep it clear.

Luke entertained the idea of hiding out in his apartment until he reawakened in the less fulfilling world. The real one.

He thought about maybe breaking up with Lorelai. The place wasn't real. She wasn't real. Her hurt feelings wouldn't be real. But real or not, Luke knew he'd never have the heart to treat her that way.

He realized quickly that whether he liked the idea or not, he was stuck. Stuck with Lorelai. Talk about humor. How could a person feel that way with an ideal mate? But stuck, he was. He couldn't indulge because he wouldn't allow himself to. He hadn't earned the right. He couldn't push her away because she didn't deserve that. And despite the supreme effort, he couldn't just snap out of whatever the hell world he'd been dropped in.

He wasn't sure how long before the storybook reached its end, and if it didn't come soon—in the very clear foreseeable, touchable future, he would be up to his neck with this life. He'd never acknowledged his feelings for Lorelai to such a degree before this day. Every since he'd woken up without any roadblocks, they'd all become blinding. He had to push them aside to get any other ideas circulating.

Luke turned and left the kitchen. He chose to ignore the truth. The truth that told him that no matter how strong he was, if Lorelai kept treating him like he was the man in her life, he would crumble. He had already witnessed pieces of his resolve chipping away.

Because unfortunately, all he was…was human.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai opened the door to her house. She smiled immediately.

"Either someone found the world's most delicious-smelling air scent or I have a hot hunk-of-a-man cooking in my kitchen!" she called from the foyer.

Luke closed his eyes, gave himself a brief pep talk that would keep him from springing up like a teen in puberty, and then he stepped away from the stove. "Hey," he yelled while making his way out of the kitchen to greet her.

"Ah, I figured it was the latter!" She plucked both shoes from her feet and carried them out of the foyer with her. When she saw Luke approaching, her eyes lit up. Luke broke out in a smile. After a full day, he still couldn't get used to the way she felt about him. "I thought you had gone back to the diner, Babe." Luke stopped short, not sure what to do. Lorelai closed the gap and filled in all blanks when she kissed his lips. "Mm." She pulled back and kept moving. "I'm so glad to see you. And even happier that you brought your culinary skills because I am waaay too tired for the diner tonight."

He stood in place reeling from her kiss. A really innocent kiss, at that.

He felt incredibly lame.

"Uh, yeah," he responded. "I figured you would be."

Luke had gone with her to the inn that morning. It had taken her forever to get ready, but once she was, he was reminded how no matter how pretty she was in any given moment, she could always _always_ outdo herself. She came down in a dress suit. Wide-legged extended-tab pants complete with vest, all complimented by the t-strap pumps that adorned her feet. Her hair was crinkled and long down her back.

When Luke pulled himself together enough not to stare at her like an idiot, he asked if he could tag along. Lorelai had no problems with that or saw no need to question it, so Luke didn't have to think of an excuse to hide his real reason. He wanted to see how the inn had come together. He wanted to see her in action in the business that she owned.

When he got to the Dragonfly and was able to look around a bit, what he saw of the inn drew nothing but silence. Because if he dared open his mouth, he would stun even himself with his level of jubilation. He went to sleep in a world where Lorelai was only talking about doing something and woke up in one where she had made it happen. Nothing bothered him more than being unable to let her know how happy he was for her, how deserving she was. Because no one deserved to have their dream come true more than Lorelai did.

He was comforted when he realized that he'd already said those things to her. Even if he couldn't remember, he knew for a fact that she'd heard him say those words. There was no way around it.

He didn't stay at the inn very long that morning.

He went to the diner to check on things. He saw Lane waiting tables, and doing one hell of a job keeping everything in order. She ran his diner better than he did. He went upstairs to his place and checked ledgers, phone messages, and even his car calendar. Everything only confirmed that he was living in the year 2004.

After an hour of lying on his bed staring at the ceiling blankly, he showered and changed clothes.

The rest of the day went by in a blur. He made calls, both business and personal—the personal being when he checked up on his little bit of family. He was relieved to know that Liz and Jess were doing okay. Not much change there. He checked on investments, watched the news and got caught up on all that had changed overnight.

Luke went back to Lorelai's house a couple of hours before she was due home and decided to make dinner for her.

He knew that putting some kind of distance between them would be best, but he had a hard time finding the desire to do that. They were dating. Distance would be weird, he reasoned. Until he figured everything out and returned to the year 2002, he figured it was best not to disturb too much in the possible future that he was being forced to inhabit.

Lorelai was tired from work. It showed in her movements. She set her shoes on the floor by the sofa and went into the kitchen.

"What are you cooking?" she yelled back to him.

Luke snapped out of the daze that her kiss had placed him in. "Um, a uh roasted prime rib. Made some potatoes, grilled vegetables, and popovers to go with it." He faced the kitchen while still standing near the foyer. He didn't take steps to go in. She was in there. Phoneless.

He had to laugh at how he was so hesitant to go near her or be alone with her, yet had chosen to make a private dinner at her house.

Lorelai came from the kitchen with a bitten pop tart in her hand.

"Hm, what's the occasion?" she asked.

"For what?"

"For the fancy feast. I'm not forgetting an anniversary, am I?" She walked to the coffee table and retrieved the remote. Luke turned and watched her unblinkingly. He actually felt disappointed that she'd chosen not to approach him. The moment she emerged from the kitchen, he feared she would. When she changed direction, he felt his fear transform, and then came immediate annoyance with himself.

Luke focused on Lorelai's question. "It's not fancy," he disputed. "I make it all the time."

She nibbled on her pop tart and flipped through the channels while standing close enough to the television to use the buttons actually on the set. "Well, it's fancy for me. You know I'm happy with a hot pocket. I'm easy." She looked over and winked. Luke still stared. "But I have no complaints," she announced just as she settled on A&E and tossed the remote on the sofa. She started toward where Luke stood. He stopped breathing. "You treat me too good, you know that?"

He swallowed and took a small step backward. "Well…you know," he stuttered.

"One day you're going to wake up, Luke."

His eyes went wide. "I'm gonna w-what?"

She smiled as she came to a stop in front of him. She grasped the part of his flannel that rested over his navel. "You're gonna wake up," she repeated. "You're gonna snap out of it and realize that you're way too good for me."

Luke relaxed, blushed. For a moment there, he thought it _was_ time to wake up. Her words sounded like his alarm clock going off. Then came words that he felt gave him way too much credit.

"It's just dinner," he muttered. "No big deal."

"Well, it's a big deal to _me_," she countered. Their eyes met. "I'm going to go upstairs and get out of these clothes. How long before everything's done?"

"It's finished."

"Oh, great. So, let me run up and I'll be back down in a jiffy." She leaned into him with her mouth filled with pastry. "Pop tart kiss?"

For the first time, he was able to look at her do that while feeling something other than panic tinged with excitement. What filled him now was amusement. He smiled down at her crumb-covered lips. "I'll pass," he answered. "But thanks."

She chuckled. "Oh, sorry." Using her fingers, she brushed her lips off. "Better?" she asked while looking up at him expectantly.

Luke smiled more and shook his head. "Just go upstairs, Lorelai."

"You're really going to deny me? My lips are puckered and everything!" she exclaimed before puckering them back up.

"Yeah, I see that. It's a very big turn-on."

"Then why am I still begging for my kiss?"

"Wasn't aware that this was you begging."

She pulled on his shirt a little more. "Well, it is. Now, come over here and satisfy me."

Luke's mind went instantly to a dirty place. A place that was a big no-no. His cheeks reddened. He spoke over his thoughts like she could hear them too. "Will that get you upstairs?"

She grinned. "It depends. How persuasive can you be?"

Luke rolled his eyes. He leaned in before he could think. His lips went to hers and her surprised moan floated to his ears. He disengaged before she had her eyes closed fully. "There," he announced. His heart pounded through his ears as he stood there feigning self-assurance. Lorelai still grinned, not having to fake anything. She licked the taste of him from her lips, and then took a large bite of her pop tart.

With a point toward the half-eaten breakfast food, she said, "Definitely second best."

He kept up the cool guy front. "My life didn't have meaning until I upstaged a pop tart," he grumbled.

"You're obviously ignorant on how high the pop tart ranks." She jabbed his chest with her index finger. "Oh, you've climbed high, my friend. Look to your right and say hello to Sputnik." In a quick movement, she hopped up and kissed his cheek. Then, she hurried away. "If I'm not back in ten minutes, grab another pop tart and come after me. I'm not sure where I'll be, but I'm positive I'll appreciate the offering."

Luke chuckled and watched as she disappeared up the stairs.

When her bedroom door closed, he took a deep breath and headed into the kitchen. He wanted to create an elegant scene. Nothing romantic. Of _course_ nothing romantic. Just something…eye-catching. He reached inside of the bag that he'd brought from his place and took out one of three candles. He turned it over and over in his hand before dropping it back inside the bag with a sigh. He snatched the paper bag up from the table and stuffed it inside of the trash.

"Whatever you're thinking, don't think it," he told himself. He closed the cabinet that contained the wastebasket and moved away while shaking his head in disbelief. "Candles. Jeez. When the hell did I become a _candle_ guy anyway?" he mumbled. He made it to the stove and slipped on an oven mitt. "Candles," he mocked. He reached inside of the oven and pulled bread out. As soon as he removed the mitt, he spun back around and returned to the cabinet in two steps. He retrieved the wrinkled bag and took the candles out.

He admired them for a moment before shrugging a shoulder weakly. "No need to waste electricity…" he rationalized.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

After dinner, Luke and Lorelai relaxed in the living room.

Luke stared ahead at the television. He didn't see much. He didn't hear much.

But he felt plenty.

He was on the couch with his ankles crossed on the table. Lorelai had forced him into comfort. He didn't have to date her to know that denying her anything wasn't a good idea. But still, he'd gone the difficult route.

Now, he sat with his legs extended on the coffee table with her on the floor off to the side of him. She rested her arm on his legs as she softly drug her hand back and forth over his calves. Back and forth. Back and forth. She'd been doing that back and forth calf dance for close to an hour, and Luke was close to explosion.

She watched TV and chatted off and on about a movie Luke saw through blurry eyes.

When credits rolled across the screen, she turned to him. "So, tell me…would you be able to hide your sexuality while in drag and around a woman like Marilyn Monroe?"

Luke looked away from the screen that may as well have been a brick wall. "What?"

Lorelai faced him fully. She got on her knees and leaned onto his thighs. Luke entered a state of mercy as he literally begged his body not to respond.

"Would you be able to be around beauty's epicenter and still keep your attraction hidden?" she restated.

Luke looked from where she leaned to her face again. "I…honestly can't say," he answered. He was still trying to pass that particular test. He swallowed. "What made you ask that?"

She squinted at him. "Other than the movie we just watched that had two guys vying for the attention of possibly the most beautiful woman that ever lived? Other than _that_?" She smiled. "Guess it was just a left field question that wanted some shine time."

His eyes flitted to the screen. "Oh." He tried to recall the movie. He couldn't remember anything other than shapes.

"Weren't you paying attention?" she asked while looking at his blank expression.

He looked down at where she leaned again. "What reason would I have had not to?"

She smirked. "Is that an answer?"

He shrugged, attempted to keep her at bay. "Are you answering a question with a question?"

"Hey, you did first! And you just did it again by questioning my question."

He rolled his eyes and answered her initial question without really answering it. "I was sitting right here, Lorelai. And I didn't fall asleep…even though the temptation was there," he added grumpily, knowing it'd be true to form. "So, you tell me."

Lorelai met his gaze with a small smile on her lips and a bigger one in her eyes. "So, you think that Marilyn is hot huh?" she asked casually.

For the first time in an hour, Luke stopped thinking about desires that were stirring. "I think who is hot?" he asked with genuine confusion.

She moved away from him and sat back on her heels. "Marilyn Monroe!" she answered flourishingly. "The woman who likes to stand over manholes and sleep with married men."

He stared at her for a moment. "You do realize that Marilyn Monroe is dead, right?"

Lorelai pointed back at the screen. "She'll live forever in movies like this one, so it doesn't matter that she's worm food. Guys still lust after her. And is this your way of avoiding my question…_again_?"

"I'm not avoiding anything. I don't want _Marilyn Monroe_," he answered with a frown. "What would make you think that?"

She played with her fingernails as they sat low in her lap. She was quiet for a second, but she smiled, hating that she was not only thinking the thoughts but that she was making herself look so insecure when she was anything but. "Well, I just assumed. But…you said you didn't know what it was like to be around someone really pretty. You said you don't know how you'd react. Insert Marilyn…or someone of the like."

He watched her avoid his eyes. And he wondered how this scene could even be possible.

She shrugged and smiled more. Finally met his eyes. "Pretty good opportunity to find out who your celebrity crush is, if nothing else."

He still stared at her, dumbstruck. Then finally he muttered an absent sounding, "I don't have a celebrity crush."

She nodded, also appearing to be elsewhere with her thoughts. "Good to know. One more Luke fact I can add to my list." She paused. "Mine is, uh, Tommy Lee Jones. If you erase thirty years, he looks like Josh Hartnett. It's my way of nibbling forbidden fruit without getting my fingers all covered in…old slut."

Luke nodded too. "Also good to know."

They held each other's gaze. Her smile turned shy. Luke studied her while holding onto his amazement. He couldn't imagine a world where Lorelai actually got jealous over the idea of him wanting an unattainable conquest. He couldn't imagine a world where Lorelai got jealous over anything involving him.

"I know how I'd react," he answered quietly.

"What?"

"If I was around…what was it? _Beauty's epicenter_?" She responded with a smile. He went on. "I do know how I'd react."

"And how is that?"

He smiled a little. "You tell me. Do I do a good job of controlling myself? _Am_ I doing a good job?"

Lorelai dropped her head. Shook it side to side as she felt a blush color her cheeks. Luke's smile grew as he watched her. When she finally lifted her head, they locked eyes. Her hand went to his knee, and she started to stand. "Hey, let's get to bed," she said softly.

Luke brought his legs down quickly. He searched his brain for words that would create an excuse. "Um…"

She stood up fully and stretched. "You're not going in the diner until lunch tomorrow, so we can spend the night here, right?" She responded to his silence. "If…you prefer we go to your place, that's fine too, you know."

Luke could feel his skin heating. The one excuse he had—the _one_ damn excuse he had—was the diner. But apparently, in the year 2004, he had turned into the biggest slacker in town. He couldn't remember ever taking an entire day off just for the hell of it, let alone a day and a half.

With options gone, he sank down in defeat. "Here is…fine. We can sleep here," he conceded.

She smiled. "Good." She backed away while waving him up. "Come, come," she urged playfully. She turned and headed up the stairs. "Hit the lights before you come up, okay?" she called back down to him.

He looked around quickly like he was in search of an escape. "Oh boy," he whispered. "What do I do now?"

Water from the bathroom sink turned on and Luke used the time to pace between the TV and couch. When it turned off, he paused and listened. The door opened, and Lorelai emerged. "Luke?"

He squeezed his eyes closed and wished he could blink morning into existence. With the night safely in the past. "C-coming. I'm coming up now."

She shuffled away from the stairs while singing a song that didn't really have an origin. It featured random sounds, notes, and her desire to have him _up_stairs, not down. Luke walked his stiff body from light to light and flipped them all until it was pitch dark on the first floor. He climbed the stairs and peeked into the bedroom only to see that Lorelai had settled under the bed sheets. She sat against the headboard with a closed novel in her lap. Just as she slipped her reading glasses on, she noticed him and smiled.

"Finally made it up, I see."

"Uh, yeah…I did." He realized he was practically hugging the wall and took steps further inside.

Lorelai opened her book and lowered her eyes to it. "Okay, buddy, drop trou and get in here." She began to read.

Luke's eyes didn't leave her, and when he watched her for a full thirty seconds without her once looking up, he tentatively removed his flannel. She still didn't look up during that process, so he added more speed as he removed all clothes except his undershirt and boxers. He wished that he could get in the bed with his jeans on without her saying anything. He moved swiftly over to the bed and held his breath as he lifted the covers and climbed in beside her.

Lorelai finally tore her eyes from the book. "I'll be done in just a second." Then, her eyes were back on it.

Luke's tone was about as desperate as he felt. "No, no, take your time with that."

She shook her head while reading a little quicker. "You think I'd sit and read all night with you lying here? Not only would that be incredibly rude…" She talked slower as her eyes picked up the pace. "But that'd also be pretty damn foolish of me, wouldn't it? Miss Patty would really have something to say then."

He frowned and actually felt a little more normal at the feeling. "How would she know what goes on in this bedroom?"

Lorelai held up a finger and kept reading. "Patty knows all, Luke. Patty knows _all_," she responded eerily.

He rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "That's an extremely frightening and…dangerous thought."

She snapped her book closed. "Okay, done!" she announced. Luke swallowed and tensed as she took off her glasses and set everything on the nightstand. She turned off the lamp, effectively eliminating the last bit of light from the entire house.

She turned to him and started settling herself between the covers.

Luke gritted his teeth and prepared for the worst. He felt his body ignite in the sweetest blaze when her arm slid across his rib cage. She snuggled in close, and her head went to his shoulder. His arm lifted on instinct. He brought it over her head, and she got even more comfortable against him. He heard her inhale, then sigh. She kissed his chest through his shirt and then found greater comfort and moved less. Her hand ran over the side of his body with familiarity.

Luke waited for more.

"No pants tonight?" she asked quietly.

He remained cautious. "Huh?"

"You're in boxers," she clarified. Luke pressed his lips together when he felt her touch the top of them for emphasis. Her hand returned to rubbing idly along his side. "The sexy sweats are MIA."

He nodded agreement. The lack of sweats definitely wasn't preferable. He'd have on about three pairs of them if he knew where the hell he kept them in her house. "I just…thought I'd switch it up," he responded coolly.

She smiled. "And they say Eve was the temptress." Luke smiled uneasily. He waited for her to start the real games. But they didn't come. After a few minutes, he started to relax as she continued to run her soft hand over his side. "Are you awake?" she whispered after some time.

His first thought was to act as if he wasn't awake. Last thing he needed to do was push his luck.

"Yeah. I am," he answered.

She took a light breath. "I'm sorry about earlier. Putting you on the spot…"

He smiled as he thought back on her shy questions. "It's fine."

She shook her head. "I can be…such a girl…with you sometimes. And that's not me, you know?"

"Well, if you weren't a girl, we'd have some issues here, wouldn't you say?" He tried to bite his tongue, tried not to feed into anything. But he couldn't help but respond.

Lorelai smiled at his comment. She stared out of the window and continued. "I like to know what you're thinking…how you feel…if it's the same as…the stuff I'm thinking and feeling." She paused. "You know. Stupid things like that." She bit her lip hard. A warning to stop. A reprimand for not doing it sooner. "Like I said. Such a girl."

The hand he rested on her shoulder finally moved. He squeezed her for reassurance.

"You're a girl…feeling like a girl. Imagine being a guy feeling like one. Now, which one of us has the bigger problem?" He spoke from the perspective of the Luke he pretended to be while choosing not to acknowledge the 1-day Luke who could pass a polygraph with the same answer.

She turned her eyes to his with soft chuckles. "Probably you," she answered quietly.

He looked down at her. "Probably? You can't be that cruel."

"Hey, well, don't just undermine my issues just because you've gone and found your own."

He laughed. "Okay, sorry. Didn't realize that's what I was doing."

"Mmhm. You just watch that from now on, mister." She slid up and kissed the corner of his mouth. Luke's light mood began to drift away as he erected his cautionary wall once again. He breathed a surprised breath when she didn't stop there. She followed that kiss with one to his cheek. She trailed soft kisses back to the edge of his mouth. Her hand went to his face, and she gently urged him to face her. With his mouth against hers, she smiled. Breathed. "Four months, and you still make me tingle," she whispered.

Luke swallowed.

Lorelai took his lip between her teeth. He strangled all sounds. His grunt of frustration was featured in silence. His moan came out in the form of a breath. She released his lip and pressed her lips to his while running her hand across his neck. Luke started to participate without thought. He pushed back against her and then pulled her to him while parting her lips with his tongue. She added her own to the mix, and in the very next moment, they were kissing deep, breathing deep, and moaning deep.

The pace was fast. Too fast. Too lust-filled.

They parted, and Luke used his mouth to attack her neck as he buried his hand in her hair. Lorelai laid on her back at his vigor. She grinded her teeth and refrained from filling the air with too many of her moans. She wanted him so bad in that moment. She wanted him like she always wanted him. Wanted him like he always wanted her. Wanted him because it seemed like he _needed_ her right then. He was always eager, always so ready and willing to please. But this wasn't the same. The way he moved, the way he sucked her skin, the way he said her name—all with a touch of desperation, like she was going to slip away without warning. It made her want to give herself to him—every bit of herself and then some. She wanted to be with him so much, it ached.

But she couldn't. Not tonight. Definitely not tonight. So, she threw on the brakes before they entered the land of no return.

"Luke," she called with a crack in her voice. She pushed him at the same time, and he lifted his head to her. His mind still floated around what lay underneath him. His eyes moved between hers, and she gave him that same attention. "I can't tonight. Remember?"

He paused, stuttered out a thick "okay" or something to that effect, and then released her slowly and moved the part of his body that rested on her. "Sorry," he whispered in apology.

Her brow creased, and she turned on her side to face him. "Why are you sorry? Don't ever be sorry. Not for that."

He shook his head to clear out the fog. "I just should've…" His actions played back in his head, and he felt ashamed. She was right to stop him.

"You should've _nothing_," she assured. She moved over and hugged him once again. "Let's just pick this back up in three to five days."

"Three to five d--" Luke's thoughts froze as realization dawned. "Oh."

She looked up at him. "I told you. You don't remember?"

He nodded his head. "Uh yeah, of course I do," he lied.

"Really?" she asked doubtfully. "Because you look a little like you're just hearing about this whole thing for the first time ever."

"What? Of course I've…" He sighed and moved past the insane discussion. He didn't feel the need to explain his knowledge of a woman's monthly. "This is fine. Three to five days is…great," he ended.

She lifted an eyebrow. "Great?"

"It's okay," he rephrased. "I understand."

She thought back on his earlier enthusiasm and looked worried. "Are you sure this is okay?"

He smirked. "Do I have a choice?"

She sat up a little. "Of course you do." She thought. "Today's definitely a no-go because…well, first day and everything, but tomorrow or the next day, maybe we--"

"I'm _fine_, Lorelai," he interrupted.

She stared at him momentarily. "I just don't want you to feel--"

"I won't. Promise." He was grateful when she appeared to relax at his words.

When quiet fell over them, Luke climbed inside of his head and locked himself there. He played through events and reflected on what he had done. His first reaction was reflexive. He scolded himself and insisted that what happened could and should have been avoided. After a day of fighting to keep his head on straight, he'd displayed the ultimate weakness in one swift moment. If Lorelai had not put the brakes on, it would have gone to the farthest point, and he would have helped to get it there.

His guilt was uncompromising. But before it could settle in, Luke found and welcomed perspective number two. This second angle—the newest one—proved to be even stronger than the first. It lessened his anxiety and allowed him peace. Actual peace minus shame. This more pleasing viewpoint came in the form of acceptance.

When Luke closed his eyes and stomped out self-judgment, he was able to see things as they really were.

There was the kiss. When she kissed him…pressed him for more than the standard peck, he broke. It really didn't take much. When she pushed her body into his, and he felt overwhelmed from the inside out, he was in. All in.

Fact was, it was going to happen. _This_ was going to happen. If the powers-to-be let his slumber last long enough, Luke knew it was definitely in the cards. In the hand that would bring the house to its knees. He cared about Lorelai. Very much. He couldn't be foolish enough to think that he'd be able to fight against that. If the attraction were purely physical, it'd be a winnable battle. But as it stood, he didn't have a chance in hell.

Lorelai's news made him realize that nothing could happen right then regardless. He had to wait. And that was something he truly didn't mind doing. However, unlike downstairs, he wouldn't use the time to find a way out of the strange but exhilarating circumstance. He, instead, planned to give his brain a chance to play catch-up. He wanted there to be no possibility of needless guilt.

His focus went to Lorelai when she spoke.

"Stupid Mother Nature," she mumbled as she lay back against his chest.

Luke smiled. "Don't worry about it." He hesitated, and then found his confidence a second later when he rubbed his palm down her arm. "This is okay," he said quietly. "Just this."

She nodded against him. "I think so, too."

He sighed contentedly. Almost closed his eyes at that peace. That was before he felt Lorelai's hand move beneath his shirt. He swallowed thickly. Went back to the shy person who was scared to be touched. "What are you doing?" he asked a casual tone of voice.

She licked her lips and smiled like an evil genius. "Just realized that we _both_…don't have to go without."

Luke shook his head as a panicked look took over his eyes. While Lorelai looked at him, the limited amount of light from outside didn't allow her to catch the full extent of his expression. "No," he said. "I said I'm okay." It wasn't hard for him to determine her frame of thought.

She bit her lip as she slowly took her hand from the warm skin of his chest and slid it downward. "I can make you feel better than okay," she whispered.

Luke's body tightened. Lorelai placed her left leg across his left one and slid a bit. She pushed his shirt up and kissed the side of his chest as she moved her hand back down toward his navel. The moment her fingers slipped inside the waistband of his boxers, Luke jerked.

He caught her hand, and Lorelai looked up and lifted her mouth from his body.

"What?" she asked.

Luke got air back in his lungs. "I-I…don't want you to do that," he revealed.

She straightened herself out on the bed. "Why not?" she followed.

He swallowed and attempted to remain calm. For all he knew, this was something she did all the time for him. He didn't want to set off any alarms by showing how horrified he really was right then. But he had to stop her. He had to. No way was he going to let his first time with her be…that.

He didn't have a cover-up story. Nothing cool and gruff to say. He sighed.

"I want to be with you, Lorelai." His eyes stretched. "_With_ you," he emphasized. He lowered his shirt back down and pulled the covers back up. "It's not just about…release," he ended with embarrassment. He looked at her. "I can wait three to five days to be with you. I do have some control."

Lorelai smiled at him. She looked down his body and then back in his face. "Do you?" she teased.

Luke's eyes flashed to the imprint of his erection. He was incredibly grateful for the dark room. He could feel the heat rise in his cheeks. "You know what I mean," he insisted grumpily.

She slid up his body until her nose was on his cheek. "I do know," she whispered seriously. "And I get it." Her eyes slid closed. "Nothing beats that feeling, Luke. Nothing."

His curiosity got the best of him. "Really?" he asked as he turned toward her a bit, placing his lips right at hers.

She smiled. Rubbed over his rough cheek with the tips of her fingers. "You don't think so?" she asked in that same intimate whisper.

He tried to imagine what it was like to be with her. He smiled a little at the tickling feeling that her fingers created. But he didn't dare stop her. "Uh, yeah. I think I know what you mean," he answered quietly.

Lorelai laid her palm flat on the side of his face and kept her eyes closed as she relished the feel of his breath being mixed with hers. Finally, she kissed him softly. Luke's eyes closed. He turned on his side like her. She smiled again and moved her body close to his. Until she could feel the hard part of his body that hadn't bothered to soften yet.

She heard his breathing turn ragged, and he pulled her closer. She bent her leg and allowed the inside of her thigh to slide up the side of his.

Luke's hand started at her knee and slid up her thigh slowly until he met her shorts. His breaths were so heavy against her face. Lorelai leaned in and pressed her lips to his. She offered her tongue, and he met it with his. What followed was a kiss that made them both feel like liquid. Her hand ran across his neck and into his hair. Luke lightly palmed her rear before moving to her waist where he pushed at her T-shirt until his hand hit skin.

They parted for air.

Their foreheads came together.

Lorelai rubbed her thumb over his cheek. "We can hop in the shower," she breathed out. "You want to?"

Luke pulled her even closer to him. He was so hard against her. "I told you I can wait," he whispered.

"Good for you." She swallowed. "And what about me?"

Lorelai moved against him and made Luke produce the most gratifying moan. "Mmmm."

She pushed him over with her body and straddled him. Leaning at the waist, her mouth went to his. She moved her center back and forth over his thick length, rustling his boxers with her gyration. They ended the tongue dance and focused on breathing. Lorelai winded on top of him. Her sensitive clit registered the feeling of his extreme hardness through thin layers of clothes. At the feeling, her jaw dropped in surprise.

Luke watched her move. Complete comfort. Complete freedom. So breathtaking with clothes _on_.

An orgasm reached out and grabbed her, rewarded her efforts. She came with a tiny shutter and breathed through an open mouth as the feeling subsided. She looked utterly delighted. Her expression was still one of surprise. Luke grasped her arms and pulled her face to his, unable to take simply just looking up at her anymore. "You're so beautiful," he whispered to her.

Lorelai stared at him silently for several seconds before she responded with a deep kiss. Her passion went to faraway places. Had Luke's hands moving under her shirt, sliding over her smooth back and up her sides. She started rocking her hips again and moaned into his mouth.

They broke, and she breathed in pants as she rubbed his face. "Let me, Luke. Just let me." She tried to slide her body down his, but he stopped her. She whimpered, kept rocking as she leaned down and kissed his lips. "It's okay…I want to. I _really_ do." He kept her from going down again.

"And I _really_ want to wait for you," he replied softly.

Lorelai stopped moving. She breathed quietly as she looked down at him. A multitude of emotions rested in her expression, but she didn't verbalize any. She broke contact when she put her head onto his chest. When Luke started rubbing her back, she smiled. She felt a twinge of embarrassment, but she knew it would have been so much worse if she had opened her mouth and spoken her thoughts a moment ago.

"I just want you," she said quietly.

He used both arms to hug her to him. "Is that all?"

She went on. "Every day. Every way…"

He smiled. He couldn't not. "Sounds pretty reasonable to me."

She smiled too. Rolled her eyes at herself. "These girl moments are going to be the death of me, I swear."

"No, they won't," he promised.

She slid her hands under his shoulders and held tight. Made their bodies press closer. Luke held her more securely. "Thank you for not making me feel like an idiot, Luke."

He stared up at the ceiling and worked to take in this perfect scene. "Well, I'm sure there'll be plenty of time left for that tomorrow," he joked. "And even more the next day…"

She smiled. Closed her eyes. "I'm gonna go to sleep just like this."

"Okay."

"All night."

"Okay."

"No problems with that?"

He shook his head. "Not really. When it gets uncomfortable, I'll pull myself from under you really fast like a tablecloth and hope you don't flip on the floor."

She chuckled. "Sounds perfect."

"Mmhm."

Her breaths told of contentment. "I'll just stay for a few more minutes," she said more rationally.

"I'm good with that."

Silence fell over them. She listened to his steady heartbeat and basked in his warmth. There were many thoughts. One very _strong_ feeling. She summed it all up with words that made her appear less deep than she felt. "Stupid, stupid Mother Nature," she mumbled for the second time.

Luke's chest rumbled as he responded with laughter.

The sound made her smile. Made her heartbeat speed up. He laughed longer than she expected, and she still grew disappointed when the sound dropped away.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"How good is your memory?"

Lorelai dropped her purse on the stool in the diner and headed for the door. She flipped the sign to 'Closed' and locked up. The last customer had just left.

"How good is my memory?" she repeated over her shoulder to Luke.

He nodded as he wiped down the countertop. "Yeah." He smiled. "I wanna test it."

She started flipping blinds. "Hm. Well, okay. I think it's pretty sufficient most of the time."

"Well, this wasn't too long ago, so I have faith you'll do alright."

Lorelai closed all blinds and went to her stool. "Then, what's the point of the test?"

He shrugged. "Something fun."

She smiled. "What makes you want to do something with that particular description?"

He glared at her. "You don't think I can be fun?"

"I _know_ you can be fun," she insisted with a lift in her brows. "One setting comes to mind," she added.

Luke diverted his eyes. Day three definitely didn't find him with a greater capacity for the inferences made to their physical relationship. He remained out of the loop. And he figured it was another two or three days before he could experience her in that way. Lorelai rarely let up. Any chance for dirtiness was put to use. Luke was used to that with her as a friend, but as a partner, it was no holds barred.

He straightened out a few condiments then gave her his attention. "Do you remember when I asked you out?"

Lorelai nodded. "Of course."

"Okay." He leaned on the counter. "Tell me about it."

Her brow wrinkled. "Is this the test part?"

He shrugged. "Kind of."

Lorelai looked off, laughed a little. "Okay, then," she capitulated. "Um, it wasn't a big floor show. Not like when we first had sex," she added conspiratorially. Luke controlled his expression at hearing that. He let her go on. "I…came in the diner with Rory for breakfast, and you kinda pulled me to the side and asked me out to dinner," she concluded.

Luke stared at her, thinking of the best way to get answers to the many holes. "Just like that?" he asked casually. "That's all you remember?" He made his voice sound disappointed in her.

She smiled. "Well, that answered your question. I remember everything, though." She shrugged like it wasn't a big deal. "Why wouldn't I?"

He nodded. "Everything?"

She nodded too. "Starting with Liz's wedding. You know, the dance. How I felt…afterward and…during, for that matter." She looked away from his very focused eyes. "And the…test run at the inn where things really jumped off. The kiss." She fell quiet, and a tiny smile fell across her lips. She looked up and went on with a sigh. "Then, you disappeared on me for like two months, _52 days to be exact_," she added quickly. Luke smiled. "When you got back, we had a couple of rendezvous, perfected the kissing thing, and then you finally asked me out properly. About a week after you were back," she remembered.

His eyes never left her. "I kissed _you_, right?"

"What?"

Luke hoped his question would hold up. He knew it could blow his whole confused cover to ask such a thing, but he had to know if he'd initiated their first kiss. When it came down to it, he wanted to be the guy who swept her off her feet. Eight years was a long time to pine and just simply be the man who kissed her back.

"At the Dragonfly," he began. "Which one of us would you say was the driving force behind that kiss?"

When she didn't look at him like he'd lost his mind, he was grateful. She seemed to consider it, though it was obvious who had kissed whom first. "You kissed me," she finally answered. "I was…hesitant, you know? Just scared of all that stuff being _right_ at the surface. Clear as day. And you sort of took charge and kissed me. And then, I kissed you." Her eyes were focused on the countertop as she stared down memory lane. "And finally, there was Kirk running down the stairs…naked."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Of course he was," he deadpanned. That revelation didn't even baffle him.

She looked up at him with a smile. "Did I pass?"

A corner of Luke's mouth turned up, and he held up a finger. "One more question."

"Okay."

He lowered his hand and linked his fingers together. "How do you think I feel about you?" he asked quietly.

"Well…I hope you like me," she answered with a touch of amusement.

"Do you feel that, though?" he asked in seriousness.

Lorelai's eyes widened. "Um…" She was quiet for a long time as they stared at one another. "Yeah," she answered.

"You don't know?" he asked instantly.

It was obvious to Luke that they hadn't spoken much about feelings. Lorelai felt uncomfortable saying anything to him that wasn't a joke. So, either they both were holding back or just _she_ was. But either way, he knew how he felt about her. How he'd always felt about her. And he wanted to be sure that 4-month Luke wasn't trying to play the cool guy role. The idiot role as he saw it. By acting as though he felt less than he really did. If he and she had hooked up, it was permanent on his end.

"I know you care about me," Lorelai supplied softly.

He nodded. "You know I'm here to stay?" he asked to be sure.

Her smile was gentle and shy. "You said as much, yeah."

He bit back the desire to ask when and in what way. "Okay. Good."

She leaned forward. "I'm really curious to know if I passed _that_ one."

Luke smiled. "You did fine," he assured. He didn't bother asking her what she felt for him. Because, in truth, it seemed like she was still figuring things out. Coming to terms. But Luke had been on the sidelines for years. He knew that lasting four months with Lorelai was rare. It meant that the relationship was working, and that was good enough for him.

Lorelai took a sip of her coffee and lowered it back to the countertop. "We've never talked about this before," she noted.

Luke followed her with a simple, "Yeah". Whatever reality she fed to him was the one he digested.

She met his eyes. "That dance at Liz's wedding, it opened my eyes so much to you."

Luke smiled softly. "All a part of my evil plan."

She matched his smile. "Well, I fell for it hook, line, and sinker."

"See what happens when you're with me too long?" He touched her hand. "You start using fishing clichés."

She shook her head. "Ugh. And this is only a few months in. I guess in a few years, I'll be a full-out wilderness freak. Not even the clichés will be good enough."

Luke chuckled. Her comment amused him, but he found true delight in hearing her allude to a future that still included him. He looked down. "I have an idea."

"And what would that be?"

"Why don't you tell me everything you remember. From the beginning of this until now. Let's see how you do."

She smirked. "This is great coffee, Luke, but I don't think it's worth me getting nailed to the wall."

"What do you mean?"

"Why am I on the spot?"

"Your lucky day, I guess."

"What inspired this?"

He shrugged. "Guess you never know where you're going until you know where you've been."

"My, how enlightened you are."

He smiled. "We all have a story, Lorelai. I'm just thinking about ours." He lowered his eyes at her smile. "How would you tell it if you had to?"

She sighed, shifted to get comfortable. "You're working hard as hell to take my girl label away from me, aren't you?"

Luke rolled his eyes and gave her his attention. "From the beginning," he instructed.

She looked upward and spoke with her hands. "_Once upon a time_," she announced loudly.

"Minus the absurdity, please."

Lorelai made a face. "My god you're asking a lot here," she mumbled. She took another sip of coffee and licked her lips. With a breath, she began. "Once there was a horoscope…" Luke's eyes bugged out. Lorelai stopped with concern. She was just kidding with that prehistoric beginning, and she expected him to interrupt her with grumpy words, not give her a look like he'd seen a ghost. "What's wrong? What'd I do?"

Luke knew he shouldn't have been shocked about her knowledge of the horoscope in his wallet. They'd been dating, so she was bound to find out. But still…he was shocked. Or mortified. But he managed to play it off coolly. "Nothing. Continue."

She frowned. "From there? I was joking. I kind of hoped we could start in this millennium."

He smiled. "That's fine. Just don't leave out the good stuff," he requested.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai took slow, easy steps forward until Luke was against the front door of his apartment.

Her tongue glided over his as she hugged his neck.

Luke's hands circled her waist, rubbed across her thick jacket.

They had begun a goodbye kiss three minutes ago. What started as a peck had turned into something with much more passion. Much more body participation. They sank deeper, offered more. But they still couldn't indulge completely. When they took another break to let air in, Lorelai ran her hand across the back of Luke's head and put her forehead at his.

Ten seconds ticked off, and it marked the longest break taken in the minutes spent kissing.

She pressed him further against the door with her body. She felt herself throb at the feel of his arousal. She hated it. Every time she got close to him, she could feel his torture. Even though hers wasn't anything to throw stones at, she wanted more than anything to end his suffering.

"After tomorrow, we should be home free," she whispered to him. "Tell me you can make it."

He swallowed. "I'll be fine," he reassured.

She felt his body telling her a different story. "Luke," she pleaded.

"This is nothing, Lorelai. Don't worry about it."

It had never been that bad with him. Not so much that she couldn't make it through the days of her cycle. She almost hated to touch him for fear of making it worse. But some things couldn't be avoided.

She smiled while still running her hand through his hair. "Guess now I'll go back to my quarters and sleep while you're here in all kinds of agony."

His voice dropped. "I'll _live_."

She nodded. "Well, my womanly curse isn't the only thing putting a damper on our proceedings, you know. These early morning deliveries of yours are not exactly helping. They're beginning to drift over to my bad side."

Luke looked down in thought. From that statement, he concluded that she never slept over when he had to be up really early the following day. "Looks like we have some problems to address, then. May need to make a change."

Lorelai's lips spread. "My thoughts exactly."

"We'll talk tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay," she agreed in a whisper.

Again, they kissed. Overworked their lips and broke with heavy breathing.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Luke."

He let her go with reluctance. "Yeah, see you then." He opened the door for her and watched her intently as she walked past him. "Oh, and on your way out, can you tell Kirk he has 5 minutes before I come down and kick him out?"

She smiled. "We've been up here for about ten minutes. Maybe he's already left."

Luke rolled his eyes. "No, he hasn't. He isn't capable of leaving without coercion. I'm about to close, and I only give star treatment to one person. And it _ain't_ him."

Lorelai shook her head as her smile expanded. "I'll let him know, Hon." She brought her hand gently to his chest and then snuck in another kiss to his lips.

Then, she was gone.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Luke accepted all things in this new world.

People that had grown up, lives that had changed both for the better and worse, the world beyond Stars Hollow that had brand new problems with crappier solutions. He took it all as truth. Because at the end of the day, all that mattered was one woman. He adapted to everything with ease. Like he hadn't missed two whole years of his life. This leap in time had landed him in a place that made him not care about the small stuff. And in comparison to Lorelai Gilmore, _everything_ fell into that category.

Luke sat on the edge of Lorelai's bed in a sleeveless shirt and his boxers. He told himself to relax. Reminded himself that this was not something he was new to. He'd had sex before. Had been told that it was something he excelled in. It was actually a wonder to all whom he had shared intimacy with why he chose to remain dormant in that department.

He took a heavy breath and ran his hands down his thighs.

"Okay, I'm coming out," Lorelai yelled from the bathroom.

Luke nodded. Swallowed hard. "I'm ready," he informed her. He glanced down and was glad there wasn't already a tent in his boxers. He'd embarrassed himself enough in the past week.

He looked toward the bathroom. The first thing he saw was her leg. It appeared from the side of the door and she wiggled the shoe she wore. He smiled. She stuck out more of her leg and made it dance around before she set her foot on the floor. It was clear she was being silly. No matter the situation, there was always a chance of that with her. Though Luke realized the act was phony, he still couldn't tear his eyes away from that sexy, impossibly long limb of hers.

When she slowly shook her ass into view, Luke rolled his eyes. "Will you just get out here?"

Lorelai appeared and stood in the doorway with a pout. "But I wasn't done being sexy."

He drank her in with his eyes. The teddy she wore made his body betray him without warning. She stood a few inches higher than normal with help from the heels on her feet. Luke swallowed deeply and told himself to breathe.

"You're not…ever done being sexy, Lorelai," he said in distraction.

She smiled and put her hands on her hips. With a seductive pose, she asked, "So, what's the verdict? You like it?" The material was black. Sheer. And fitted like an extra layer of skin.

Luke continued coaching his breaths. "I love it," he answered. "Now, come _here_ with it."

She laughed and started moving toward him. Her hips looked to have a mind all their own, and Luke's eyes couldn't find a spot to settle on. They bounced from her cleavage to her legs and from her face to her middle. He only stood up when she was near enough to touch. Lorelai moved closer.

"Finally I get to do something about this," she whispered while running her hands over his thighs, around his erection.

"Mmhm," he mumbled absently.

She watched his eyes move over her body and she smiled. "I'm starting to think that it was a waste of time to do all of this," she said while gesturing toward her newest Victoria's Secret purchase. "What do you think?"

Everything down to his breathing told of his arousal. "I think you're gorgeous," was his answer.

Lorelai grasped both sides of his face, making his eyes go to hers. "That about answers my question," she said with a grin. He gripped her waist, and when his beautiful, dark eyes dropped to her lips, Lorelai pulled him to her.

Anxious mouths connected, and _even more_ anxious tongues came together and started exploring.

The kissing got deeper, bottomed out at _Challenger Deep_, and they kept going. Luke pushed her with his eager body, and she pushed back with hers. When they broke apart, there were desperate breaths and hands that worked toward a common goal.

"Oh god. Just get everything off," Lorelai breathed out.

They both tore away clothes.

Luke guided her to the bed. She went on her back, and he covered her with his body. She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his strong waist. They kissed away all thoughts that still existed. They made thinking overrated and unneeded.

Luke went to her neck without warning, and he sucked her skin until her blood rushed up between his lips. Lorelai's fingers pressed into him, and she moaned. Took her bottom lips between her teeth to control the moaning, and it only heightened. She bit down. Gave herself pain with all the pleasure.

Luke moved like he was on a mission. But he was smooth enough to make it seem less rushed than it was.

His mouth never left her body as he went from her neck to her breasts. He sucked them eagerly before he went back to her mouth. Luke held onto Lorelai and tried to out-kiss a talented kisser. Lorelai held onto Luke and attempted to upstage him even though it was clear it couldn't be done.

He lifted away and breathed while he hovered. Lorelai opened her eyes in slits. Like the light brought pain when in actuality Luke's distance was the thing that killed her.

Luke took a moment to get his head together. When he lowered himself back onto her, he did it slowly. Lorelai wrapped all limbs around him again. Her lips returned to his with urgency, and Luke fought the desire to keep up. He, instead, slowed their pace and had her sighing.

He could feel Lorelai's pelvis rocking against him. She tried to find the perfect angle to make him slide into her and put an end to the throbbing. When he felt the tip of his shaft hit wetness, he knew she'd found it. Luke pulled his lips away from hers and looked into her face as he allowed the connection to take place. Her heavy breaths ended in a swallow, and she spread her legs more while looking at him.

She winded slowly, squeezed her walls around him, wanted to get him moving. He tightened his jaw and kept looking into her eyes.

She brought her hands to his face. "Are you _trying_ to kill me?"

He smiled. Bent his head and placed his lips on the palm of the hand that was closest to his mouth. Lorelai slid her arms around him and closed her eyes when he finally started doing what her body had grown to love so much. He buried his face in her neck and kissed her skin while he penetrated her.

Lorelai moaned so softly. She held him close. Traced his back and slid her hand through his hair. The deeper he went, the better her world became. He filled her up, fit her perfectly. It was a feeling that she would never get used to. One that she would forever appreciate.

His lips found hers, and they began a kiss that made it difficult to do anything else. For a moment, they froze and concentrated on the passionate tongue dance. When Luke pushed deeper again, Lorelai met the thrust. The same thing happened when he repeated it. When he put that together with her breathing, it told him that it was a sign that he should know. That he should recognize. She was about to climax.

She moaned when his speed increased. She reached over her head and grasped her pillow to keep from marking his back. Just before it hit, though, Luke had her arms wrapped around him tight. He felt her nails and only gritted his teeth as he carried her through her orgasm. It wasn't long before her body was milking him as well.

Their chests heaved together as they came down from that passionate round.

"Do you feel better?" Lorelai whispered.

He smiled. "Yeah. You?"

"Tremendously."

He nodded his head then stared down at her. "You want to go again?"

Lorelai smiled, laughed a little. "Give me a sec."

Luke placed a gentle kiss on her lips as her hands brushed over his back.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Luke's tongue flicked against Lorelai's clit.

She grasped the door of his bathroom and let the towel that she held fall to the floor. "Oh."

He sucked the meaty, most sensitive part of her treasure into his mouth then released it and repositioned her on his bathroom sink. Then, he was at it again. Lorelai watched him give her oral pleasure with her mouth dropped open. She panted, said his name like she was amazed.

He thrust his tongue into her center and tasted the flow of wetness. Her arousal always came easily for him. He had learned that. When he extracted his tongue, he took it back to her love bump and sucked just like it was a pacifier. Lorelai tried to find something else to grab. She reached blindly, and when her hand hit metal, she nearly ripped the towel rack from the wall.

She came and her body created more juices that Luke eagerly kept contained.

Her other hand flailed until it went over her head and smeared the bathroom mirror. Steam still hung in the air from her shower—a shower that was proving to be a waste of time.

Sweat formed on her skin as Luke continued to test her self-control. He moved his tongue like a tornado between her thighs. She gritted her teeth, gripped whatever new object her hand came in contact with. Luke kept up speed and then created ones that were new to science. Lorelai exploded in a way she didn't understand. In a way that made her feel wonderful, invincible. Lithe, light, and lazy.

She waved him up. Got him up quickly to avoid more of the same.

They got face to face, and she noticed the same dark color in his eyes that had to be so much worse in hers.

"You…are…" She worked his jeans down. "Are…" He assisted her and got the job done. He pulled her to him as he put hardness inside of a tight space. She gasped, and he breathed raggedly. "I-incredible…" she ended.

He pushed into her with force and made all sounds disappear from her throat. She grasped his shoulder. They brought lips together and kissed as carnal sounds filled the bathroom. Lorelai's fingers hit her swollen clit, and she rubbed her way to an orgasm that had her screaming out. Luke pushed through that tightness. He grasped her thighs and moved in and out slowly, exhibiting control most men only dreamed about.

Lorelai found her bearings, felt gravity again.

She wrapped her feet around his thighs and scooted up. Used her hands to lift and fall. The feeling was fantastic. When his thrusts got more passionate—when he drew back further and created greater distance before impact—she gave him the floor.

He lifted her, carried her to his bed. Lorelai laid back and held him tight. She took his earlobe between her teeth and licked below his ear as he moved skillfully and gently in and out of her body.

He put her legs on his shoulders, leaned onto her and grinded while watching her features. He saw her eyes blaze. She climaxed while out of control. Couldn't move like she wanted to, couldn't lessen the feeling that attacked her. She groaned and clawed at his skin, unable to stop.

Luke let her legs down and put his knees under her thighs. She still contracted around him. He watched his manhood invade her moment. Then, he leaned down. Brought his chest to her chest, his heart to her heart and he kissed her deeply.

Lorelai moaned into his mouth. She felt his seed shoot out and mix with all of the moisture he'd caused.

They held one another. Didn't move. Breathed in excess because they'd earned the right.

"I just…came upstairs to see if you were up yet," explained Luke.

She smiled. "I see."

"And you were wearing a…towel and--"

"The rest is history."

"So anyway, I see you're, um, up."

"Well, if I wasn't before, I definitely am now."

Luke chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so."

Lorelai shook her head and kissed his nose. "Good morning, Luke."

He grinned cheekily. "Morning, Lorelai."

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Lorelai hung by the stove at the Dragonfly.

"So, how long before you and Jackson stopped with the hot and heavy?"

Sookie smirked and tossed garlic into a large pan. "What makes you think we have stopped?"

Lorelai's brow went up. "Wow. You mean to tell me one baby later, and you're still clawing at Jackson's mushrooms?"

Sookie chuckled. "Well, we do know how to keep the romance alive. It's something you have to learn to do if you choose to shackle yourself."

"Tempting picture you paint."

She smiled. "So, Luke is all over you, huh?"

Lorelai smiled as she stared at Sookie's creation. "He'd kill me if he knew I was talking to you about this."

"Guess it's a good thing I'm your best friend, then. No chance of any of it getting out. Now, spill the beans."

She folded her arms. "It's approaching five months. And it's still _so_ great. And the last few days especially have been…_oh my god_!" she stressed.

Sookie looked up at her. "Really? Oh my god?"

"_Ooooohhhhh_ my god!"

She smiled and turned back to the pan. "Wow."

"I know."

"Sounds pretty amazing to me. I don't see the problem."

"There's no problem," she assured quickly. "You said it, it's really amazing. I just want to be prepared for the moment when we become a couple who is…just a couple. No hot sex three times a day. But just a couple."

Sookie's wide eyes went to her. "You two have sex _three times a day_?!"

Lorelai froze. "I did say that, didn't I?" Sookie nodded eagerly. Lorelai smiled. "Okay, forget killing me. Luke is going to chop off my arms and make me unable to lift another coffee cup _ever again_. God, I really didn't mean to say that," she ended with a shake of her head.

"My goodness. You guys are worse than rabbits."

Lorelai spoke quieter. "It's just been that way for like a week. It's usually just…like once a day. But lately, he's been--"

"Once a day is still amazing, Lorelai."

"Well, I know--"

"Once a week is pretty freakin' fabulous to most."

Lorelai smiled. "I know. See, Luke and I are still in the early stages and everything, so one day we _will_ drop down to the once a month thing…" She considered that. "Well, hopefully we'll never get that bad, but you get what I'm saying." She leaned close. "I'm not complaining about all the sex. I love all the sex. And it'll even be okay with me when it slows down like a normal couple. It really will. I just want to know how long before that happens. So, I'll be prepared."

"Well, it's not like I can give you a date on the calendar."

"I just need an idea."

"It's different for everybody, Lorelai. And what do you need to be prepared for?" she asked curiously.

"Well…when all the superficial stuff falls away, there's definitely gotta be something else there to keep you rooted." She paused and took in Sookie's confused look. "I just think it's a good idea to be prepared, Sook. You know, just in case."

Sookie turned all attention to her. "Just in case what? Just in case Luke _leaves_? You think you have to prepare yourself for the time when Luke might _leave_?"

"I didn't say that," she said quietly. "He told me this was it for him, so…I believe him…"

"Well, who else do you think is leaving? You're not going anywhere. Just the fact that we're having this discussion lets me know that you're staying put. And _ooohhh my god! You're staying put_!" she exclaimed suddenly. She grasped Lorelai's elbows. "You've never talked about staying put before!"

Lorelai smiled. "I realize that. Now, can you calm down before your entire kitchen staff is knowledgeable about my love life?"

Sookie jabbed her playfully. "Look at you all worried and panicked that you're gonna get dropped like a one-night stand. It's great!"

"Wow. Thanks, Sook," Lorelai followed dryly.

Sookie laughed. "Listen, I'm not sure how long before you and Luke stop with the rabbit humping. That's just something you're gonna have to wait out, Honey. But as far as all your preparedness crap, let it go." She put her hand to her chest. "As your very best friend in this entire universe who would never steer you wrong unless I was in the car to get lost along with you, I am telling you that you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Trust me on that."

Lorelai smiled at her words.

Sookie continued. "You're hot. And your man loves your hotness. Definite plus. But for Luke, there are all kinds of sappy, mushy, disgusting, sticky, gooey feelings that are stuck underneath all of that. Have been for years." She retrieved her whisk. "Don't you worry about a thing. Once you two exhaust the bed rocking sessions, there will be plenty of late night scrabble sessions to take its place."

Lorelai held onto her smile. "You really think so?"

"I know so, Sweetie."

She moved in and hugged her from the side. "Thanks, Sookie. I love you."

Sookie hugged her back as much as she could from that angle. "Aww, I love you, too." When Lorelai stepped back, they shared a smile. Sookie flung her whisk toward the wall and splattered sauce. "I feel like I should make a cake for you now! With 'Lorelai's Staying Put' in the center."

"Ooh, good idea!"

"Good!"

"X the theme, though."

"So, just a cake?"

"Just a cake."

"Good deal. I'll get started on it in a little bit."

"You're the best." She pointed to the door. "With any luck it'll be finished by the time I get back."

"Where you going?"

Lorelai winked. "To see Luke. Gotta check on him. See if he's in the mood for a little rabbit activity."

"Should've known. Life of a three-a-dayer." Sookie chuckled then waved her away. "Have fun."

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

"See this? This is perfect. This is about all I can take of nature," Lorelai said as she gestured toward her front yard. She and Luke sat on the porch steps. Luke sat one step higher than she did, and she rested between his legs with her elbows laying on his thighs. It was just beginning to get dark out.

He chuckled at her remark. "Well, you can't take much of it, then, can you?"

"It's just the communing part that gets me. What reason do I have to _commune_ with it? This way, I get to see it, and it gets to see me without us having to fraternize and pretend to be something we're not."

"Guess this is your way of letting me know that this is all I'll get out of you, huh? No camping and fishing trips."

"You deduce well, Lucas."

He nodded and then rested his chin on the top of her head. "I try to read between the lines."

"Ah."

"Even though the bold, screaming words around them tell me everything I need to know." Lorelai laughed. He gripped her shoulders and massaged them tenderly causing her to sigh peacefully and lean back against him further.

She pointed over her shoulder. "Neck," she requested softly.

He obliged by pressing his thumbs into the lower back part of her neck while continuing to knead with his fingers. "Like this?"

"Mmm…_just_ like that."

He rubbed for about a minute in silence while Lorelai ran her hands over the knees of his jeans in a caress of her own. When her head began to get droopy, he leaned over her to see her face. "You know it's my turn next, don't you?"

"Baby…" She rolled her neck and spoke in a voice like honey. "I'll do anything you want me do right now."

Luke chuckled. "Maybe I should place camping back on the table."

She held up a finger. "Anything but that," she responded. "I'm feeling blissful, not crazy."

"Thought I'd give it a shot." He buried his lips in her hair and remained there for a long while before he kissed her gently and pulled away. He continued his massage. "Your hair smells good. Like berries," he commented quietly.

She smiled. "Thank Pantene."

He nodded. He'd seen her shampoo brand. Along with her conditioner, soap, perfumes, make-up. He'd seen it all over the past two weeks. It told him that she was a normal person. He had never painted her as someone who wasn't, but he had trouble believing that the essence she possessed could possibly be store-bought. He had come to see firsthand that none of her fragrances necessarily manifested themselves on her skin. They were added. The perfect blend and the perfect amounts of this and that.

Lorelai became more human every day he spent with her.

Luckily, Luke had not placed her on an unrealistic pedestal. She would have definitely made a crash landing from atop that sky-dwelling platform. The pedestal that held her up, instead, was specially made. Built with her in mind. So, no matter what crazy, out-of-this-world stunts she pulled while up there, there was no chance that she'd fall back down with the rest of the population.

Luke angled his head around and kissed her temple. "I love Pantene," he followed. He whispered deeply, "You smell good enough to eat."

She grinned. "Be sure to include that in the appreciation letter, okay? _'To whom it may concern: Thanks for making me want to eat my girlfriend! Sincerely, Admirer'_."

Luke smiled. He took a breath and looked across the yard. He abandoned his massage and ran his strong hands down both her arms. "Do you think you're going to live here forever?"

She crossed her arms at the tiny breeze that came through, and Luke created more heat with his hands. "Here as in Stars Hollow?" she asked.

"No, here as in here. This house."

She thought for a moment. "I think I'd like to, yeah."

"Hm."

"Why? You don't think I should? I mean I know it has its problems, but overall it still--"

"It's a great house, Lorelai. I was just curious."

She nodded, and her voice was quieter when she spoke again. "It's big enough, right? For…other people?"

"What, are you planning on renting out the living room?"

She smiled. "I meant for a family."

"Oh." His hands slowed for a moment before he picked up speed again. "I don't know. You and Rory fit well here, so it'd probably be okay."

"The guy's opinion would matter, you know."

"That's…considerate."

She laughed softly. "I don't want to make it seem like I'd pick the house over the guy. Assuming he was the right guy, of course. Can't give the crapshack up for just anybody."

"The right guy. So, is it safe to say that you see yourself married?"

Lorelai's heart rate sped up. Hearing _this_ man say _that_ word gave her a new feeling. One she'd never experienced before. It didn't make her start re-evaluating every part of their relationship in an attempt to find problems and red flags. In fact, it did the very opposite. She answered him easily like there wasn't chaos inside of her. "Well, if it's not marriage, it's spending the rest of my days loaded down in cat hair. The old ball and chain doesn't look too bad there, I gotta tell ya."

Luke chuckled. "Yeah, you have a point there."

"What about you? Do you see yourself tied down again?"

"Again?" he asked casually.

"Well, yeah. Other than to Nicole. Do you see yourself taking another wife or has she screwed you up royally?"

"I was _married_?!" he blurted. Lorelai turned quickly at his outburst, and he disabled shock just as fast. Started stuttering his way back to safety. "Um, I-I just mean that it didn't last but a, uh, you know, short time, so it's still a shock to me sometimes that it even…happened." He shrugged carelessly. "It's all come crashing back, though. I married and, uh, divorced Nicole…Leahy." He'd only been on a couple dates with her and hadn't even slept with the woman yet. He realized he didn't even know his _ex-wife's_ middle name. "See, all info locked and loaded." He smiled with false confidence.

Lorelai still squinted in confusion, but she turned her back to him once again. "Every once in a while, Luke…as of late…I get the feeling you've been stuffed in a time machine and just zapped here."

His eyes showed terror while his laughter filled the air. "What! That's crazy. How would something like that even happen?" he asked. He found himself actually listening for an answer to that.

"You're not losing your memory, are you?"

"Definitely not losing my memory," he muttered. He certainly had no plans to let go of the few memories he had.

"Are you sure?" she asked as she softly rubbed his knees again.

"Positive," he answered.

"Good."

"Yeah."

"Because the unconditional part of this love is still pretty new, so I don't want to come with too much too fast."

"Well, that's understandable," Luke followed mindlessly. He kept rubbing her arms and shoulders. Lorelai closed her eyes and told herself over and over to relax. Luke's hand movement slowed to a stop. There was a lengthy silence before he asked quietly, "What'd you just say?"

Lorelai took a breath and turned to face him. "I think I just told you that I love you."

He couldn't blink, couldn't lift his jaw. "You…think?"

She swallowed, nodded. "I think I admitted it. But I know…that's how I feel."

He finally closed his mouth. "Wow…Lorelai…um…"

"Big, huh?"

His mouth was so dry. "Huge."

Silence. Her eyes moved over his face. "Are you not ready to say it back?" she whispered.

Luke's shock made his thoughts jumble. "Well, uh, that's not--"

"Because it's okay," she followed in a softer voice. She turned more and looked into his eyes. She hoped hers didn't contradict her words. "It's only been four months, so I understand. I do. I know what it's like to have someone say that way too soon. When you're not even close to being ready." She smiled a shaky smile. "It's only right that I get to experience how it is on the other side, right?"

Luke shook his head at her.

It had only been a couple of weeks. She said four months, which was no time at all, but for him, it was ten times more premature. It would be insane for him to be _in love_ with her after only two weeks of being in a relationship. He had to provide an answer. And he didn't dare lie to her.

"You may…have to wait a little longer…" Lorelai nodded, showing her support and understanding to his incomplete thought. He went on. "…to experience the other side of things. Hopefully, the buck will stop here, and you won't ever get that chance." She froze and processed his words. Luke quirked a smile when unbound relief poured over her features. He stared into her eyes and saw as tears filled them. He hoped she didn't cry. Not even happy crying was his thing. But he figured it'd only get worse before it got better.

"I love you, too," he reciprocated softly. "I love you very much, Lorelai. Have for a long time." He paused and allowed time to run his thumb over the one disobedient tear that slid from her eye. He found amusement in that because Lorelai seemed to hate its presence more than it made him uncomfortable. He winked at her. "Thank you for saying it first, though."

She smiled and gently removed his hand from her cheek. She kissed it before holding it with both her hands. "Hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

"Going first?"

"All of it." She met his eyes. "We've only been seeing each other this short amount of time and here I am…saying this thing…these words to you."

He squinted. "Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?"

She clutched his hand tighter. "It's unbelievable. I've never felt it, ya know? But I feel this…_way_ when I'm around you. And when I'm not around you. I honestly don't know which is worse, Luke, I really don't. They're both so intense." She swallowed. "And I'm sorry I'm going on and on, and I can see you looking at me weird like I'm gonna boil your rabbit, so I'll end it. This is just so, so huge for me. Please understand that." She smiled at his smirk. When he didn't speak immediately, she added quietly, "But I really love you quite a lot."

Luke shook his head and laughed at all of her fast, nervous talking. He waved her up to him. "Well, I love you quite a lot, too," he said to her. Lorelai leaned toward his lips with hers. "Let me count the crazy ways…" he added in a grumble. She smiled. Their lips came together.

Lorelai entwined her arms around his neck and took the kiss deeper.

And on it went.

It didn't take long before they both decided that a change of scenery was needed. They headed inside. Happy and lightheaded from their kisses, Luke focused on Lorelai and the words and moment that had his heart ablaze. Nothing else mattered as he followed her indoors.

Not even that he was a damn divorcé.

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

Usually when someone came into the diner during a lull, Luke was sitting down in a chair reading or doing paperwork.

This day was no different. He was reading the newspaper.

The bell rang, and he looked up to see a tall, lean man dressed in a trench coat and casual wear. He was bald-headed and had on thin-framed glasses that made him look like his IQ was up near 200.

"Hey. Come in and take a seat anywhere," Luke invited as he stood up and pushed his chair in.

The man nodded once. "Thank you." He followed Luke to the counter. "I'll sit here," he ended as he slid onto a stool.

"That'll work." Luke knocked his knuckles onto the countertop, creating a brief melody. "Can I get you something to drink?" he asked mechanically.

"Coffee."

"Coming up." He turned and busied himself with that.

The man picked up a menu. "So, what's good here?"

Luke glanced at him over his shoulder. "Well, the pancakes seem to sell pretty good."

The man nodded thoughtfully. "The pancakes sell like hotcakes, huh?"

Luke didn't even feign amusement. "Order whatever you like," he said.

He set his menu to the side just as Luke slid a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. "Thanks. I think this will be good for now."

Luke nodded. "Okay. Let me know if you need anything." He rounded the counter and went back to his table. The sections of his newspaper were laying everywhere on the small space, and he started putting them together to put behind the counter.

"So, I take it you're Luke."

Luke looked up to see that the man had swiveled on his stool and was now facing him. "That'd be me," he answered in nonchalance. He went back to folding his paper.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Grayson."

"Pleasure."

"This is a nice business you have here. How long have you had it?"

Luke stopped to eye the man. There was nothing worse than getting a talker during the lull. He knew there was a chance of this every time someone came in alone. Townies had enough sense to either bring something to keep occupied or to entertain themselves with their own thoughts. The man in the trench coat wasn't a townie, though. So, Luke figured he'd have to learn the hard way.

"Diner's been open for 16 years," he answered with thinning patience. "Listen, I don't really do the…" He gestured between the two of them. "…interacting thing. If you want something to do, you're more than welcome to take a section of this," he said holding up the paper.

The man shook his head. "No, thanks."

He dropped the newspaper back to the table. "Suit yourself. But I hope you realize--"

"It's 18 years, you know."

Luke paused. "What?"

His eyes widened behind his smart frames. "The diner. It's been open for 18 years now. You have to be careful not to make those kinds of mistakes."

Luke stood up straight and faced the man on the stool. "What the hell did you just say?"

He smiled. "You think your mind is playing tricks on you now, right?"

Luke backed away a little. "Look, I don't know who you are--"

"Name's Grayson," he replied again smoothly.

"What's going on? What do you mean 'those kinds of mistakes'? Who the hell are you?"

Grayson never raised his voice. "You're starting to panic. And that's understandable, Luke. But right now, panicking would not be helpful. So, what I want you to do is calm down."

Luke's wide, alert eyes slowly retracted. The tenseness in his body faded out. He blinked and looked at Grayson like he was just another customer. The bell rang, and both their eyes turned to the door where a middle-aged woman had just come inside.

Grayson smiled. "Hey there." She stopped walking as she looked into the face of the man in the trench coat. "Give us a minute, okay?" The woman just stared. He winked. "Come back in ten," he ended cajolingly.

She nodded. Never blinked. "Ten minutes?"

Grayson glanced to Luke. "No, actually, make it five. This won't take long."

Again, she nodded. She turned and left back out.

Grayson sighed and looked at Luke. "What year is it?" he quizzed.

Luke stared at him, doubted him in his head, asked him to explain himself a million times. But the rhythm of his heart didn't change. He displayed trust to the man who he'd known all of two minutes. "2004."

Grayson smiled. "That's really good. You've been doing well. Extremely well."

Luke nodded. "Thanks."

"You've missed two whole years of your life. How do you feel about that, Luke?"

"Confused mostly."

"You've got lots of questions, I know. It's only natural." Luke didn't respond. "Unfortunately, I can't help you there. What I'm bringing today are options. In most cases, there are no options. I come and clean up messes. This has proven to be an experiment that has failed on every occasion. Except with you." He smiled delightfully. "You've lasted for two and a half weeks in a future you don't understand."

"Is that what this is? My _future_?"

"Every bit of it."

Luke's eyes went off in thought. "What options are you talking about?"

Grayson turned and sipped his coffee before proceeding. "I can take you back to 2002. You'll wake up in your own bed and continue with the life that you remember. This…" He held his hands out to signal their surroundings. "Will happen when it's meant to happen."

"And the other option?" Luke asked, dismissing that one without thought.

Grayson relaxed against the countertop. "I do nothing."

"So, I stay here?"

"You stay right here."

He frowned a little. "Would you be able to do anything about the past two years? Give me some cliff notes or something?"

Grayson laughed. "Sorry, Luke. If you stay here, everything will remain as it is."

"Flying around blind…"

"Well, I wouldn't say blind. You have plenty of helpful guides. You've been amazing so far. Keeping your head down, asking all the right questions without raising suspicion. And you've been living. Actually living. You were made for this experiment."

Luke scoffed. "_Experiment_, he calls it," he mumbled. Grayson smiled. "Guess that makes me a lab rat."

"Best there is."

"Who am I?"

"Silly question, Luke. You're you. You are very much still you. Just drug in from the past is all."

"Why? How?"

"Those are questions I don't have answers for."

Luke sighed heavily and ran his hand over his neck. "Well, I can't go back," he said without much deliberation. "I can't leave."

Grayson tilted his head. "Can't?"

Luke stared at the floor as Lorelai's face flashed in his head. "Can't, won't, not going to, however you wanna see it."

"So, that's your decision, then. Choice made?"

"I've made it this far, you know? I'm rarely freaked out anymore, so I think I can handle it." He brought his determined eyes to Grayson. "So yeah, choice made."

Grayson chuckled and climbed from his stool. "I like that look. That _nothing's gonna stand in my way_ look. Love really is a powerful thing, isn't it?" Luke dropped his eyes timidly. Grayson pulled a crisp fifty from his wallet and slipped the bill under his coffee mug. "I think this is a good decision for you. I really do."

Luke sighed. "Thanks. It's good to hear that."

Grayson's hand went to his shoulder, and he patted it. "Once I leave, I'm gone. If you end up in the loony bin, that's where you'll be," he joked.

"I'll take the chance."

"Figured you would." He met his eyes. "This is it, then. You and I are going to part ways." At Luke's nod, he continued. "Now, you won't worry about stuff that doesn't matter. I don't want you to do that. Don't worry about me. Or this. Okay?"

Luke nodded. "Okay."

His gaze intensified. "You won't wake up with nightmares and obsess about things you can't explain."

"Okay."

"It's a waste of precious living time. Besides, this whole thing with me is barely significant. Right, Luke?"

"Right."

Grayson dropped his hand and buttoned a few buttons on his coat. "You're gonna be fine here. It'll all work out. Just live your life and be yourself."

"I will."

Grayson nodded. "Okay, then. Guess my job's done." He gave him a soldier's salute. "Take care, buddy." He strode to the exit and ran into the lady who had come in earlier. He held the door open for her and smiled widely. "You have gorgeous hair, you know?" he said with a point toward the bun she wore. "You should wear it down, show it off." With a courteous nod, he was gone.

The lady watched him leave then turned to the diner.

"Um, can I sit anywhere?" she asked Luke as she slipped the pins from her hair.

He blinked rapidly, focused on her. "Yeah. Just sit anywhere. Any seat is fine." He returned behind the counter. "Something to drink?"

She nodded. "I'd love something to drink. But first I need you to wake up."

"Excuse me?"

She met his eyes. "Wake up."

Luke's eyes narrowed. "I don't unders--"

"Wake up, Luke. Wake up!"

"W-what?"

At feeling strong, bony fingers shaking both his shoulders, Luke awoke with a start. His eyes shot open, and the face he saw just inches from his made him scramble to his feet in a panic. A chair was knocked over, and newspapers went flying to the floor.

"Kirk, what the hell are you doing that close to me?!"

Kirk looked just as terrified as he did. "I was trying to wake you!" he explained. "You had fallen asleep during your lonely lull. But it's over now. I was letting you know that I'm here."

Luke's chest continued to heave. He looked around Kirk to the door. "Where'd the lady go?"

"What lady?"

Luke looked at him. "You didn't see a lady?"

"Ever?"

He rolled his eyes. "Forget it." He bent down, corrected his chair, and then started cleaning up newspaper. "What about a guy? Did you see a guy?"

Kirk's eyes went off in thought. "Eve--" he started to ask again.

"Go sit down, Kirk."

He shrugged and headed for the counter. "Good thing I'm the one that found you snoozing, right Luke? I'm one of your closest friends so you know I've got your back!" Luke ignored him as he hastily cleaned up. He wondered if maybe he'd dreamed the entire thing. He felt brand new panic as he realized that he could possibly be back in the year 2002 where he rightfully belonged. Kirk continued to babble on as he looked at one of the menus. "Hey, do you know you snore a little, Luke?" Luke didn't say anything. He picked up the last of the paper from the floor. "I'm sure Lorelai has told you, though, so I doubt it's news." Luke's head snapped up at those words. "But still, if she hasn't told you, then let me be the first to. You snore, pal. There. As friends we should be able to tell each other anything, no matter how embarrassing, so feel free to tell me something about me if--"

"2005 is only weeks away. Right?" Luke was back behind the counter standing in front of Kirk. His eyes were anxious.

"Right," Kirk confirmed happily.

Luke sighed with great relief, and his hand went to his heart. It was still 2004. He forced himself to stop thinking about how he'd cope with being back in the past. Because the truth was, he wouldn't be able to. He knew he couldn't. 2002 simply couldn't exist for him anymore.

He hadn't gone to sleep and dreamed up the later year, thank god. Instead, he had dreamed of a strange man who spoke to him about stranger things. His memory of the man was vague. So vague, in fact, that Luke had no problems accepting him as someone his imagination created.

As long as the rest was real.

Luke rubbed his hands together as he fed into his lighter mood. "Alright, Kirk, what can I get you?"

"Orange juice, smiley face jelly toast, eggs, a hash brown mound with little specks of--" He stopped suddenly when Luke held up a hand.

"Where'd that come from?" he asked and pointed to a nearly full cup of coffee a few stools down.

"I don't know. It was there," answered Kirk.

"Since when?"

"Since I came in."

Luke continued to stare at the mug that still had steam coming from it. "Are you sure?"

"I think so."

"Do you _think_ or do you _know_?" he snapped.

"Um…I know," Kirk responded with finality.

"Great," he mumbled.

Kirk looked over. "Who would leave fifty dollars for--"

"Mind your own business, Kirk," Luke muttered before turning away. He went into the kitchen, leaving Kirk alone with the hot cup of coffee and insane tip. Again, the vague man appeared to him. He wasn't even rattled. He grabbed Kirk's orange juice and headed back out. "Here you go."

"Thanks." Kirk pointed down the counter. "So, you don't know who left that there?"

Luke couldn't remember much. Just bits and pieces. Enough to know that he was exactly where he belonged and was there to stay. He shrugged a shoulder carelessly at Kirk's question. "It doesn't matter," was his reply.

"Maybe a ghost left it."

Luke sighed. "Drink your juice, Kirk. I'll go make you something to eat."

He accepted that easily. After a sip of his juice, he yelled after Luke. "Hey! Since you asked about the New Year, what are you doing for New Year's Eve? If you want, you and Lorelai could come to Mother's because--"

"What did I tell you about talking to me during the lull?!" Luke shouted from the kitchen. Silence followed. Way more than Luke actually expected. "Kirk?" he called out in question.

He spoke up. "Sorry, Luke. I forgot," he apologized. "I'll find something to do that won't bother you," he ended pitifully.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Jeez," he muttered. "Okay, fine! What are you and your mother doing for New Year's Eve?" he gave in.

Kirk smiled wickedly. "Well, as I was saying…"

-OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

A few days later.

Luke went upstairs to his apartment to find Lorelai lying on the couch watching TV.

She smiled at him and waved when he was inside. "Hey, Scruffy McHandsome. Closed good?"

Luke took off his hat and ruffled his hair as he walked over to her. "Closed great," he answered. He leaned over her and kissed her lips. "You're definitely a sight." He kissed her again.

"Mm." She playfully reached for him when he stepped away. "You smell like cheeseburgers!"

Luke chuckled. He made it to his bed and sprawled out. "I don't know if I'll be able to let Caesar go on another vacation," he yelled over. "He does more than I thought he did. I'm exhausted."

Lorelai pulled herself up from the sofa and walked over to his bed. She laid down next to him and tossed her leg over one of his. She hugged his waist. "Want me to relax you?" she asked enticingly.

He smiled and brought his arm over her shoulders. "Just you being here is relaxing enough."

"Really?"

He closed his eyes. "Mmhm."

She chuckled. "You really _are_ tired, aren't you?"

He laughed too. "You have no idea." He kissed her forehead then turned his head back to the ceiling.

Lorelai squeezed him tighter. "Wanna get naked and spoon?" she whispered.

Luke's eyes opened as that visual crossed his mind. "The spooning sounds doable. But why don't we leave our clothes on. Otherwise it's just sex."

"No, it isn't."

"Oh, it _will_ be!"

She laughed and then kissed his jaw. "Let's get changed."

Luke rolled his tired body from the bed after she sprung up. Lorelai slipped out of her jeans, top, and bra where she stood and put on her favorite flannel shirt. She had already removed her make-up, so after quickly pinning her hair up, she climbed in the bed, and waited for Luke to return from finishing his nightly routine.

When he finally climbed in behind her, she turned out her bedside light and scooted back against him. Luke wrapped his arms around her affectionately and kissed the back and side of her neck several times before relaxing into his pillow.

"Now, this is what I call relaxation," he cooed.

Lorelai smiled tenderly and rubbed his hand that rested on her stomach. "Luke, can I ask you something?"

"Sure." He kissed her neck again.

"How often do you think we should say the 'I love you' thing?"

"What?"

"Well, should we be one those couples who just assume it's known and pulls it out only on major occasions or should we be like the couples who think they need to say it every time their eyes meet?"

"Jeez, Lorelai. Where do these things come from in your head?"

"From a special place. Tailored especially for you and your nerves of silly putty."

He sighed. Took a second to think. "I don't know. I guess we can say it whenever we feel like it. I hope it's not every time our eyes meet, though. That's overkill."

"So, we won't say it with our goodnights?"

"We can if you want to," he answered.

Lorelai considered that. "I don't really want to say it just to say it. So much so that we forget what it is we're saying. I definitely don't want to be _that_ girl."

"So, we're on the same page, then. No overkill."

"No overkill."

"Okay, so where does that leave us?"

"Well…can we just say it when we really feel it?"

Luke pressed his face in her hair. "I thought we agreed no overkill," he said.

Lorelai grinned. "If it becomes a problem, we'll re-open discussion."

"Guess I can live with that."

They settled down and found comfort. Lorelai's voice came through after several long seconds. "Mind if I say it now?"

Luke smiled widely. "Go ahead."

She nodded. "Okay. I love you, Luke," she revealed quietly.

"I love you, too."

Lorelai allowed only seconds to pass in quiet. But she had to comment on the moment. "That was perfect."

"I agree."

"Rory didn't think I'd have the nerve to say it again at all. Like I was just going to change my mind about how I feel. Some reputation you have when your flesh and blood has no faith in you, huh?"

Luke smiled. "Well, you've made strides. Be happy about that. I most definitely am."

"She's so going to get the mock-finger pointed in her face. You just wait and see. She'll be home tomorrow, you know."

Luke lit up. "Really? That's great!" He, of course, knew Rory was away in college, but he hadn't seen her yet. Not the new college-aged Rory. Lorelai had been limited to phone calls because of Rory's busy school schedule. Luke was genuinely happy that he'd get to see Rory and learn of how she was turning out the Ivy League world.

"So, when is she getting here?" he asked.

"Around lunchtime. We're gonna have a girl's afternoon out to relax her a little before her last final."

"That sounds like fun. Make sure you guys drop by the diner, though. I want to see her."

"You know you're already a scheduled stop. I can't go too long without seeing my coffee pusher."

Luke smiled. "So, she's driving down by herself, then?"

"Why wouldn't she?" she asked casually.

"Well, it's a long trip, you know. At least for one of your caffeine-dependent offspring."

Lorelai laughed. "She'll be fine, Luke."

He nodded and held her closer. "Well, I can't wait to see her."

"Lots of anticipation settling in over here too."

Luke sighed contentedly. "Harvard's going to have to do a better job of sharing this town's pride and joy."

Lorelai fell quiet. She squinted, cocked her head in the darkness. Then she grasped his wrist and slid it from around her waist. "Ooookay," she began in a calm tone. She got to a sitting position and flipped the light. "Start talking, Luke."

Luke looked up at her with a dumbfounded expression. "What are you talking about?"

She crossed her arms. "What school does Rory go to?"

His eyes scanned her face. "What kind of que--" He stopped talking when he realized that the one thing he figured he could say with confidence wasn't even true. Rory wasn't at Harvard University—a school she'd talked about attending since he'd known her. Had she not gotten accepted? That was just ridiculous.

As Luke's silence grew longer, Lorelai's jaw dropped more and more. Luke looked away in avoidance. "Oh my god! Do you _really_ not know?"

He turned and faced away from her. "Of course I know," he answered defensively.

"Then, what school is it?" More silence. Lorelai's hands went to her face. "Oh my god," she whispered. "This hasn't been in my head! All these times you've been acting confused have _not_ been an act. You're _really_ confused!" She turned to him. "What does this mean? What's going on? I meant it as a joke, but you told me you weren't losing your mem--"

"I'm not! I _haven't_!"

Luke pulled the covers over his head and willed the entire scene to be a bad dream. Lorelai pulled the covers down to his waist. "Luke, talk to me and tell me what's going on," she requested.

"You wouldn't believe it if I told you," he said gruffly.

She leaned over him. "I _will_ believe it. I'll believe _you_." She paused, added softly, "You know how much I love you. Now, talk to me."

He remained immobile for almost a full minute, and Lorelai gave him that. When he turned, he lay on his back and glanced shyly at her face. With calculated movements, he slid up and leaned onto the headboard next to her. She searched his eyes. Made a move to touch his hand but pulled away.

Luke felt his heart sink to his feet.

Lorelai smiled a little. "This may sound like a stupid question, but this whole thing is a little…" She waved toward the ceiling, toward outer space. Luke nodded with an eye roll. "…so um…you're not like a robot, are you?"

"Jeez," he muttered.

That reaction made her smile. "Or an alien body snatcher, right?"

His tone was annoyed. "No, Lorelai. I'm not a body snatcher or a robot. This is me."

She released a sigh of relief then took his hand in hers. She pulled his lips toward hers and gave him a soft kiss. She kissed him until he kissed her back, until it turned passionate. She pulled away, traced his lips with her thumb, and then gave him her attention. She looked at him with devotion in her bright blue eyes.

"I'm all ears."

**-The End-**

So, what do you guys think? Can Lorelai _'handle the truth!'_? Hehe. I know that was a little out there, but I still hope it was an enjoyable read!!! :)

Btw, does anyone know if we ever learned Rachel's last name?


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